


I will keep you safe, my love.

by moxhiistarr



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Age Play, Angst, Bathing/Washing, Bed-Wetting, Caretaker!Aziraphale, Diapers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Little!Crowley, M/M, Non-Sexual Age Play, Snake Crowley (Good Omens), Tags May Change, Vomiting, Wetting, Whump, Wingfic, crowley!whump, it gets worse before it gets better guys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2020-10-10 14:40:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 70
Words: 47,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20529695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moxhiistarr/pseuds/moxhiistarr
Summary: - After the Apocawasn’t things between Crowley and Aziraphale change once the demon’s most heavily guarded secret is revealed. How will they work through their new relationship?- Little!Verse (Crowley is a Little who is living as a Baseline.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> \- A QUICK WARNING BEFORE YOU READ THIS!!! → this fic contains non-sexual age-play: adults who act childish/infantile  
\- there may be scenes in here that some may n o t be comfortable with (and that’s totally okay if you are. just click away if that’s the case.)  
\- anyways!! have a good day, and as always! i hope you enjoy this fic!

It was unnaturally cold in Crowley's flat. Not that, that was unusual in the slightest because the demon liked his living space to come off as mysterious and uninviting. (At least, in most circumstances.) Though tonight was different because Crowley found himself jolting upwards in a cold sweat after being woken up by a nightmare, and if that wasn’t enough, there was another unpleasant surprise that he recognized almost immediately - a familiar warm dampness that slowly trickled down onto the bedding he was sitting in and it was the third time that has happened this month.

"Shit." He cursed to himself, immediately miracling away the unwanted bodily substance before racing into the bathroom. His focus shot directly to the medicine cabinet where his suppressants were kept and he downed three or four of them, although the recommended dose was only one or two (but he was frankly in too much of a state of stress to care much about that).

Most of the time the pills were enough to mask Crowley’s Little tendencies but he would have slips, particularly in moments of great tension (similar to now). If that did happen usually it was something that anyone could write off easily as him being more emotional or dramatic, at most a bit immature. But after the events of the Almost-Apocalypse things haven’t been particularly great for the demon because he would often dream of a particular bookshop and fire. Losing your best friend wasn’t an easy experience especially if you were a Little like Crowley (although he would certainly deny it if you ever confronted him on the subject). 

The demon slunk to the floor as feelings of shame began to course violently through his veins. It would be a while before the suppressants would start to take effect so he just laid helplessly against the tiled floor hoping that these displeasing feelings of dread would eventually pass. Crowley wept quietly, occasionally getting louder with tearful sobs - he felt very, very Little right now and very, very pathetic. 

Another rush of guilt flushed through his body and his mind started to dwell on past experiences. He had a couple of close-calls in the past, with Hell and with mortals, due to his hidden classification and he wasn’t ready to let that happen again. Specifically because him and Aizraphale have been spending more time together and with that last realization a new slew of possibilities crossed Crowley’s mind.

"W _ hat if he finds out? What if he rejects me? What if he leaves me?"  _ The demon thought, before forcing himself to stand up even though he wasn't currently in any headspace to do much of anything. But he  _ had  _ to do this. There were more important matters to attend to and he didn't have time to be Little right now. Not when he finally had the chance to love his angel. Not when the past six-thousand years actually meant something. Not when he was  _ free _ .

  
There was no way in Heaven (or Hell for that matter) that Crowley could ever let Aziraphale see him for what he truly was ( _ a disgusting, needy, clingy Little)  _ and he silently vowed that it would never happen. He wouldn't let it happen. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is honestly a bit short for my taste  
but in terms of the story it made sense so i’m gonna roll with it and see where it goes. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
i hope you don’t mind that i started off with a bit of angst (i promise that future chapters will be more fluffy)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I am really abusing the use of parentheses and italics in this chapter 🙃 (sorry)

A few weeks had passed since the incident and things continued as they normally would, now that the demon was taking extra steps in ensuring that no Little accidents occurred - those extra steps being doubling his pill dosage. Which was _ totally _ OKAY! As far as Crowley was concerned, but his very human and very _ mortal _corporeal form seemed to disagree. Most days the demon appeared to be pale, his body ached from exhaustion, and his eyes now were accented with prominent dark circles. 

Though things would be just _ fine _ since he was now in the right state of mind to continue his life as he normally would and that was exactly what he wanted. Right?

Dinner with Aziraphale, then they would go out for a couple of drinks, get thoroughly intoxicated, sober up, say their goodbyes (which was now accompanied by an incrediably _ passionate _kiss), and be on their merry way. Rinse. Wash. Repeat.

Today’s treat was at a new restaurant that opened up a few blocks away from Aziraphale’s bookshop, which the angel was _ "dying" _ to go to and the demon obliged, despite the overpowering dizzy feeling he was experiencing the moment he stepped into the establishment. The sounds of customers talking amongst themselves made Crowley’s head pound unbearably - most likely a direct side effect of the (illegally acquired) suppressants he was taking. But, the serpent completely ignored the new sensation and instead blamed the headache on his lack of sleep (which might have also been a contributing factor). Anyway, it wouldn’t be right for him to deny his angel of what he wanted just because of a little headache, so he continued on as if nothing was wrong.

Luckily, it didn’t take long for the couple to be seated together at a table (thanks to a little demonic miracle) and surprisingly things continued semi-normally for the duration of the meal. Although Crowley was much less responsive today - reacting to Aziraphale’s elaborate stories with the classic smile and nod technique an occasional ‘mhmm’. 

"Are you alright, dearest?" Aziraphale said, smiling gleefully as he took another bite of his meal before directing his attention to the other man who had an unreadable expression behind his dark glasses.

Crowley quickly sat up against the back of his chair to make himself appear more attentive. "W-Why does something seem wrong?" He questioned in hopes of diverting the conversation to a much more desirable subject. 

"No…" Aziraphale paused, furrowing his brows in thought then placing his fork down on an empty plate. "Well... I mean, yes. I’m sure it’s nothing I should concern myself with but I just wanted to check on you, that’s all."

"‘m fine." The demon stated plainly, not wanting to say too much because the room suddenly felt like it was spinning. He placed his chin into his hands to prevent any swaying his body may have been doing at the moment. 

"Are you sure?"  
  


"Yup! Absolutely _ 'tickety boo!’" _He used air quotations to emphasize that last part. "Just tired, haven’t been sleeping much."

"Well dear, that’s hardly an excuse." The angel retorted. "You don’t even need to sleep."  
  


"You don’t need to eat either. Yet, here we are." Aziraphale was backed into a corner with that response. 

"Fine." The angel huffed out in defeat, shooting a dissatisfied look in the serpent's direction. "I won't press you further on the subject. But, I must confess you do look a bit… petered-out… for lack of a better term."

"I don't need you doting over me like I'm some scared animal Aziraphale. I can take care of myself, y'know." 

"I am well aware of that Crowley. I just worry sometimes, and for a Baseline you can be quite careless." 

"I'm not _ careless _, Angel. I just like to keep things exciting!" The demon exclaimed with faux enthusiasm before Aziraphale waved their server down for the check. "Six thousand years is a long time and if you don't occupy yourself with something new, life can get a bit boring. Not that you would understand anyway…"

"Pardon me?"

"All you do is read books all day. You have to admit that's pretty boring."

"To some… but not for me." Aziraphale said as he swiftly got up from where he was sitting. Crowley followed suit, though it was not as graceful as the angel's fluid movements. 

***

Crowley half-stumbled on the way back to Aziraphale’s shop as they both walked together hand-in-hand. It would’ve been enjoyable for the demon if Aziraphale wasn’t going so _ damn _ fast. Though that wasn’t the case at all and Aziraphale was actually trying to slow down to match Crowley’s lumbering pace. Not that he minded, but he had to admit it was quite worrisome considering the state that the demon was in and he seemed to be doing worse than Aziraphale first imagined. The angel wasn’t completely oblivious and had actually been keeping a closer eye on his dear friend over the past couple of weeks. He had purposefully chosen the restaurant because of its close proximity to the bookshop so Crowley wouldn’t have to drive them there. (Which was probably the best decision for everyone on the road that day since Crowley was a very reckless driver to begin with.) He even skipped desert so they could get home sooner and Aziraphale _ never _skips desert.

The angel felt Crowley’s weight press into his side gradually as they continued on their path together and by the time they made it back to the bookshop the serpent was practically limp against Aziraphale, who was gripping onto him firmly. If anyone had seen them that night they’d probably would say that the demon was drunk. But the angel knew there was definitely something else that was wrong with his friend, he just didn’t know what it was yet. 

"Crowley, dear?" Aziraphale spoke softly, trying his best not to startle the demon who was half-asleep against his shoulder.

"Hmm?"  
  


"We’re back."  
  


"Already?" The demon questioned as he slipped in and out of consciousness. "I should be gettin’ home then." He then wrestled himself out of the angel’s grip and took a few steps forward, nearly falling in the process, before Aziraphale steadied him again. The demon began to feel nauseous. 

"Wait!" The angel’s voice was laced with concern, "I… uh think it would be best if you stayed here tonight."

"Angel, ‘m okay." Crowley made a second attempt at moving past the other man, though he was stopped by a hand placed firmly at the center of his chest.

"I’m serious Crowley. You’re starting to frighten me darling and it wouldn’t be right of me to leave you in such a state. It’s just not safe."

"Let me go… please ..." The demon murmured in response desperate to get past the principality.  
  


"Why?"

"Bathroom."

"What?"  
  


_ BLEEEHHH!!! _


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I apologize in advance for the inconsistent chapter lengths :’)

By the time Aziraphale had realized what the demon meant by "bathroom" it was already too late. He was completely caught off guard when what was left of that night’s dinner was now on his floor. Fortunately the demon had enough wits about him to make sure that the ethereal being wasn’t in the splash-zone. Unfortunately in the act of avoiding puking all over his friend some books ended up being drenched in a mixture of wine, what used to be risotto, and stomach bile. At least they weren’t any of Azriaphale’s first editions so he wasn't bothered by it at the moment - those were easily replaceable. 

What really mattered to him was Crowley, who was now hunched over on the ground trembling helplessly since he didn’t have the energy to do much else right now. Aziraphale immediately ran to him, rubbing soothing circles into his poor demon’s back. Crowley immediately began to sob, currently overwhelmed by the series of events that happened thus far (a clear sign that the suppressants were beginning to wear off) and seeing his demon in such a state of distress made the angel's heart shatter into pieces as he pulled Crolwey close to his chest. 

"‘m so sssorry Zira… I-I didn’t…"

"I know, dear…  _ shush.  _ It’s alright. Let’s get you cleaned up, hmm?" The angel said, easing the occult being back to a standing position and guiding him upstairs to his flat.

Once they made it to the bathroom Aziraphale sat the demon down on the edge of the tub filing it and stripping Crowley of his clothes along with those horrible glasses. The ethereal being watched as tear-stained eyes immediately looked away in embarrassment and a splash of color came to his friend’s cheeks. Aziraphale then took the demon into his arms placing him gently into the tub. Surprisingly, there wasn’t any protest from the serpent, despite him being very adamant on leaving the bookshop just moments ago. The ginger only held his head in shame as the angel cleaned him, he wouldn’t have been surprised if Aziraphale decided to leave him, so he just sat silently afraid that he would make things worse if he said anything.

When he was all clean and dry Aziraphale then took Crowley into the bedroom, miracling him into a pair of black silk pajamas before laying the demon onto the mattress. 

"Are you comfortable, dear?" He asked, pulling a blanket over Crowley’s shoulder. The demon nodded in reply, his eyes drooping lazily as the need for sleep finally began to take its toll. Aziraphale then placed a tender kiss atop the demon’s temple (just above his snake tattoo), "Rest well, my boy. I promise everything will be better in the morning."


	4. Chapter 4

Angels (and demons, for that matter) don't have any classification because they aren't meant to love. Actually, that's wrong… angels are supposed to Love (capital "L"). "Love", heavenly love - the love that all angels felt - could easily be defined as appreciation for all of the Lord's creations. It isn't real love (lowercase "l") - the type of love that humans felt. "love"is a human thing therefore, Caregivers and Littles were meant to be human things as well because humans are meant to feel love.

In Heaven and Hell everything was uniform, intimate relationships (like the ones a Little and a Caregiver shared) got in the way of that. So angels and demons were all made the same way neither Little nor Caregiver - essentially they were the first Baselines. Well… except for Crowley who was the only Little amongst the other supernatural beings he knew of.

***

When the demon awoke he was greeted with the smell of smoke. 

_ "Was something burning?"  _ He thought to himself, flicking his tongue to get a better idea of what was happening while his eyes adjusted to the morning light. 

Books… Dusty shelves… Aziraphale's cologne…  _ "Wait… Was this the bookshop?!"  _ The demon thought before checking for any unwanted accidents. His face immediately turned to a deep red (matching the color of his hair) and almost by instinct, he miracled away any traces of what had happened in his sleep, hoping that Aziraphale didn’t see. He then promptly stumbled out from under the bed sheets and ran to where the smell was coming from.

_ "There was a fire! He needed to save his angel! He-" _

"Oh! Good morning, dear!" A familiar voice called out once Crowley entered the kitchen. The demon gripped tightly at the door frame when he took in the sight before him. Aziraphale was fairly heartbroken by the fact that Crowley was now staring at him as if he just saw a ghost, though he pretended it didn’t bother him in the slightest. Instead, he smiled at him brightly while he held a spatula in his hand, he was also wearing an apron (with tartan print, of course). On the counter there was an assortment of cookbooks lying around, a bowl full of batter, a whisk, and what looked like several failed attempts at making pancakes - all of them completely black and hard as a rock. Despite his love of food Aziraphale was never the best cook, honestly the man could give college students a run for their money (if they had any, that is, seeing how tuition is so expensive nowadays).

"I didn’t expect you to wake up so soon. I thought you would be hungry so I tried to make you a treat… Though, I’m sure you can already guess how that turned out." The angel laughed nervously before turning off the stove, deciding that he had done enough cooking for today (rightfully so). Next, he gestured for Crowley to sit at the small dining table, willing a plate of freshly baked pancakes into existence with a side of eggs and bacon. 

"Take a seat dearest. I’ll only be a minute more." 

The demon complied, treading carefully across the room as he watched the angel in complete shock. It took about ten minutes to tidy up the mess he made before taking his own seat across from the other man and miracling a plate of food for himself as well. Then there was a moment of awkward silence between the two of them. Which felt strange… but after the events of last night they were both left unsure of how to proceed. So they just picked away at their food hesitantly and the sounds of clamoring silverware began to fill the empty space. They continued like this for sometime before the angel spoke once more after they were about halfway through their meal.

"It surely is a beautiful day, isn't it?" 

No response.

"Anyway… um… I think we should talk about last night. If that's alright with you, that is…"

No response.

"You really did give me quite a scare and I can't help but feel like you're hiding something from me Crowley. Did I do something wrong? You haven’t spoken a word to me since last night and..." The angel took in a sharp breath, trying his best to choke back tears that were starting to form in the corners of his eyes. Crowley sunk back into his chair as a wave of guilt washed over him. He didn’t mean to hurt the angel, he was really just afraid of making the situation worse. But, it seemed like that’s what he ended up doing that anyway. "If you don't want to tell me, I would absolutely understand since I haven't been completely honest with you either. I know I can be a bit over-protective of you at times, which is probably the reason why your upset with me." 

_ "Upset?" _ The demon was surprised by this statement and his nose scrunched up in confusion. He could never be angry with his beloved angel. Yeah, admittedly he never liked to be coddled all the time by Aziraphale. But that was more of an interesting character quirk rather than a fatal flaw.

"I just thought that by some chance all of this could work out but in the end it was all just wishful thinking because it’s clear that our classifications don’t match."

Oh, so he did realize that Crowley was a Little. It would be any second now before he would say that he thought the demon was undoubtedly repulsive, that he was weak, that he should just leave and never return-

"I'm not actually a Baseline Crowley."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- ahhh!!! thank you guys so much for the lovely comments!  
\- i really didn’t think anyone would enjoy this and i am having an absolute blast writing each chapter (although they have been kinda short… sorry about that)  
\- well… i hope you have fun reading this next chapter!

Now, the demon Crowley could be described in many ways. The cunning, wily serpent of Eden. Professional hellion responsible for all of life's annoying little inconveniences (his greatest achievement being the M25, thus far). Devoted friend (and more recently, lover) to the principality Aziraphale. Also lastly, and most importantly, a bit of an idiot.

You see, there were many blatant signs that the angel was, in fact, a Caregiver. On the wall when Aziraphale shielded him from the rain although Crowley (formerly Crawly) was a complete stranger and a  _ demon _ . The blonde's generally apprehensive nature just because he cared too much about the little things. Performing "frivolous miracles" on random passersby on the street to inexplicably cure them of the common cold or find twenty pounds in their pocket. The way he stuck out like a sore thumb around his fellow Baseline angels. The list could go on…

Each realization hit the demon in rapid succession as the angel spoke, repeatedly apologizing about how he should have come out sooner to Crowley. Though all of that faded into the background and Azriaphale’s constant rambling sounded more like TV static compared to the voices in his head yelling something along the lines of:

_ "WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?!!?!" _

He clearly needed a moment to wrap his mind around the whole ordeal while he stared at the angel with wide eyes completely dumbfounded.

_ "Aziraphale is a Caregiver?" _

_ "How long has this been going on?" _

_ "Why couldn’t I figure it out sooner?" _

_ "Did he ever care for someone else? Do I know them?" _

He quickly shooed away that last thought knowing that it would only make him more distraught than he already was. He wanted to disappear. He  _ needed  _ to disappear. Maybe hide away and take a nap for another century or two. Take a trip to Cancún, change his name, drink piña coladas all day. Honestly, Alpha Centauri didn’t sound so bad at the moment either. He just needed something,  _ anything _ . Just as long as he could get out of whatever Hell Sa- Go- Somebody had somehow set up for him. 

A soft touch suddenly brushed his face, wiping away tears he didn’t realize were there and that same feeling of self loathing hit him again. Why was he like this? Why couldn’t he just control himself? Be  _ normal _ . But he wasn’t, he felt scared and alone and utterly confused by everything happening around him. He felt Little. 

"I’m so sorry, Crowley. I never meant for things to end up this way. I didn’t know what to do and after everything that happened last night I was so very afraid. I hope you can forgive me."

_ "Of course, always." _ That’s what the demon meant to say. But all that he could articulate at the moment was the occasional soft whimper as he stiffened up against the angel's fervent touches and shook his head in disbelief. He didn’t deserve this kindness. Things weren’t supposed to happen like this. He should be the one apologizing, not Aziraphale.

The angel observed Crowley closely as scales began to form on the demon’s skin before he transformed into a snake. The serpent promptly made his way to the nearest escape through an open window before slithering away onto the streets of Soho. Aziraphale ran after him bolting out of the front door only to find no indication of where the snake may have gone. 

"Uh oh…" He muttered to himself, this wasn’t going to end well.


	6. Chapter 6

Just when Aziraphale thought things couldn’t get worse, it began to rain. He had already been looking for Crowley for sometime and worried sick about the snake, blaming himself for the unfortunate series of events that preceded his search. Of course he would scare his friend away, Baselines weren’t meant to be with Caregivers. It was only a matter of time until Crowley would become tired of his worrisome nature and finally decide that their relationship was over. He probably believed that the angel was too nosy always asking him how he was feeling, if he had a good day, how he was sleeping. The demon always seemed to be bothered by that last question, as of late. 

But nothing felt right about any of this, he thought he would have more time. Maybe another decade, at the least. Their relationship only just started to develop into something special and the angel ruined it to the point where Crowley could barely even look at him, let alone talk to him. He would be surprised if they ended up becoming friends again in another century or so. But dreaded the thought of waiting that long for reconciliation because he loved Crowley and wanted to make things right (even if it meant that he would not see his best friend ever again).

At least he could find the snake and insure that he was alright. Warm and free from harm's way. That’s all that mattered to the angel. 

_ "Crowley must be so afraid right now." _ Aziraphale thought to himself as he turned around another street corner and the pitter-patter of rain become deafening against the fabric of his (recently miracled) umbrella. It was also windy now, indicating that the small drizzle may be developing into a raging storm very, very soon.

***

Pills. Crowley _ needed _ pills. 

That was his first plan of action when he left Azriaphale’s book shop. Followed by a nap which could last anywhere between a few days to a few years. Maybe by that time the angel would forget about everything then they could restart as if it last night never even happened. That’s exactly how they’ve solved past disputes before so why would this be any different? 

Each droplet of rain that landed on his scaly body felt like ice against his skin and he could already feel the heat rapidly escaping his spindly form. The wind didn’t help either picking up just as he reached the halfway mark of his journey. Unfortunately, he ran into a group of weird kids that, for some reason, thought it would be a good idea to chase him around like he was some type of plaything (this whole ordeal alone wasted about ten minutes of his time). He had also frightened a couple walking down the street when he left the bookshop. One of them being a very rude woman who had thrown her purse at him before the serpent hissed at her angrily, revealing a far less pleasant face. She immediately fainted out of terror and he glided away. He then decided to travel through various alleyways to make it to his destination so he wouldn’t have to deal with anymore inconveniences. It wasn’t easy though, especially with the rain pouring down on him heavily and since he couldn’t drive in this form a trip that would usually take him about twenty minutes would actually take an hour or so. 

Despite this though he was actually able to make it back to his residential building unharmed albeit with barely enough energy to return to his human form (but that's beside the point). He staggered his way up to his flat barefoot and still dressed in his silk pajamas from that morning which were now completely soaked from the rain. He also earned a few weird stares from his neighbors but he didn’t care. Well that was until he noticed that the door to his flat was wide open. There was an intruder.


	7. Chapter 7

Crowley walked down the hallway cautiously, careful not to make a sound, and grabbed the plant mister (as if that would do anything) to defend himself. If the intruder was a demon he thought he may be able to convince them that the contents of the spray bottle was holy water, similar to that stunt he pulled against Hastur and Lingur. Though it would be hard to do so with the current state he was in at the moment - still dressed in his night clothes and drenched in rain. He also wasn’t the best fighter to begin with, apparent by the fact that a mister was his first line of defense against any potential threats, but he had to try  _ something  _ to protect his home. 

The first room he checked was his office. There didn’t seem to be anything odd here except for the fact that someone had taken out his astronomy book and rearranged some of the objects on his desk. They were probably trying to find money, the demon considered. Yet, he thought it was a bit strange that it only seemed like they bothered to look at his paperwork and there was no damage or signs of reckless behaviour.

Next, he checked the kitchen. Nothing. 

Then, he suddenly heard sounds coming from his bedroom. He immediately ran to it, almost tripping over himself as he sauntered over to the disturbance. But found nothing until he heard the sound again, this time more clearly - from what the demon could infer it was very similar to weeping and it was coming from the bathroom. The demon continued to creep slowly preparing himself to attack whoever had enough nerve to trespass on his property. He held the mister as if he was aiming a gun, inching closer to the closed bathroom door and gripping the handle. Immediately afterwards he pushed the door open and pulled the nozzle trigger.

***

"I want you to have this." The demon said with his hands outstretched to his angel. He had a very solemn look on his face as he handed a small key to his friend, it was the first time he had enough courage to show this much vulnerability to anyone. Trusting someone with his life. Giving them access to his home. His sanctuary. "In case of emergency. If anything happens… y’know. You have a place to go to."

"Oh Crowley, you don’t have to." Aziraphale refused, knowing how much this meant to the serpent. 

"No please take it. I insist Aziraphale. If anything happened to you I would never be able to…"  _ forgive myself.  _ Crowley trailed off with that last statement, still afraid to completely bring down the rigid facade he’s been building up the past six-thousand years. The angel just nodded understandingly in response as he took the key from the occult being. 

"Thank you." He said, giving the demon the most precious smile. The small action warmed Crowley’s heart immensely and the serpent looked away, trying his best (and failing) to hide the tender expression that was now pulling at the corners of his lips.

"Don’t mention it."

***

When Crowley barged through the door Aziraphale let out a loud yelp as a sudden splash of water squirted onto his back. Crowley found him hunched over the sink with red, puffy eyes as the angel wiped tears from them, confirming that he was the one who was crying. The angel then took notice of the demon who stood there trembling with fear, his eyes were fixated on what Aziraphale was holding - it was a white pill bottle. 

"Crowley." The angel said very tentatively. "D-Do these belong to you, dear?" He asked turning the bottle in his hands, revealing the label. It read as follows:

SMOLAXAPINE ALTRCUBAZINE |  **500 MG **

(Age-Regressing Hormone Suppressant)

"You do realize what these can do, right? You could  _ die  _ Crowley." Aziraphale was very serious now, stepping closer to where the demon stood. The occult being stepped back in response in another attempt to get away. But he couldn’t escape this time and felt a firm hand gripping tightly around his wrist, the angel wouldn't let him go so easily. "Please… tell me that you haven’t been doing this." He pleaded though he already knew the answer to that statement was far from what he wanted to hear. 

Crowley then tried to take the bottle from the ethereal being but Azirphale stood his ground and held it just out of arm’s reach. He tried a second time, but wasn’t very successful before the angel spoke again. "I can’t let you do this. Don’t you see that it’s killing you?" Crowley ignored him and clawed perilously as he wrestled his way to the drugs.

Aziraphale didn’t understand. He needed this. He didn’t want to be Little - when he was Little he was disgusting and needy and confused all the time. The angel wouldn’t like him that way.

"Answer me, Crowley!" The angel cried out, here was now pain in the blonde's voice as an uncomfortable mixture of emotions got caught in his throat -  _ Frustration. Anger. Sadness. _ \- and Crowley suddenly stopped out of desperation, resting his head onto the angel’s chest. 

"Can’t." It was the first time he had spoken since the night before and his words were hardly above a whisper as he felt tears come to his eyes. "You’ll hate me."


	8. Chapter 8

A burst of lightning stuck as Aziraphale held the demon close to him in his arms. He noticed that his friend was still shaking and felt cold to the touch (an obvious sign that he had spent too much time out in the rain) before guiding him into the bedroom. Then he sat the other man onto the bed, miracling him completely dry and placing his coat over the demon’s shoulders. Taking into mind that it didn’t seem like Crowley had many things to make himself comfortable in his flat (but that would change very soon). 

"Crowley." The angel spoke softly as he kneeled down to the serpent’s eye level, the demon stared down at his feet shamefully in response while pulling Aziraphale’s coat more securely around his shoulders. The angel was a bit saddened by this but paid no mind to it at all and instead lifted Crowley’s chin slightly so he could get a better view of the serpent’s golden pupils, forcing the demon to confront him. "Don’t hide from me, darling. I promise I’m not cross with you. I just would like to ask you some questions and I want you to respond truthfully, alright? Can you do that for me, dear?"

The demon nodded hesitantly and the angel smiled contentedly, happy that Crowley was now cooperating with him somewhat successfully.

"I apologize for shouting but I want you to understand that I was concerned for your safety. These… suppressants... they’re dangerous. Obviously, I can’t make you stop taking them and I won’t force you to do such a thing. But it pains me to watch you hurt yourself, considering what happened last night and I’m guessing it’s because of these?" He raised the bottle of pills so they were in the demon’s line of sight and Crowley grimaced when he saw them, nodding in response to Aziraphale’s question. "That’s what I suspected." The angel then put the bottle down on the nightstand beside Crowley's bed before continuing. "Do you mind if I ask why you ran away so suddenly this morning?" Aziraphale asked before placing the occult being’s hands in his own and giving them a reassuring squeeze when he noticed how his friend tensed slightly when he heard the angels words.

"I panicked." The occult being finally said as he looked down again. Aziraphale didn’t push him this time though and just listened carefully as Crowley spoke, afraid that if he did the wrong thing the demon would shut himself off completely. "When you told me that you were a Caregiver I was unsure of what to do because I knew that after you confessed it would only be a matter of time until you found out what I truly was. I was afraid that you’d feel obligated to take care of me because of your classification and I didn’t want to force that on you."  _ I didn’t want to go too fast for you. _

"Force that on me? You didn’t do anything wrong Crowley. I was the one who-"

"That’s not my point, Zira… you are supposed to think that, you’re a Caregiver for someone’s sake. But I don’t need you to do anything for me, it’s not your responsibility and you wouldn’t like me when I'm Little."

"Why wouldn’t I? I like you just fine now."   
  


"I-I just know, alright." The demon responded, sounding a bit more bothered than he meant to let on. "No one likes Littles… people get tired of them all of the time, even Caregivers. Also, I’m not supposed to be this way. I’m a demon. Demons aren’t supposed to be Little."

"Angels aren’t supposed to be Caregivers either but I’m still here." Aziraphale reasoned, though the demon just scoffed in response.

"You don’t understand Aziraphale because it’s so easy for you to just pretend your a Baseline. If Hell found out about me they would’ve killed me. Hell! Even the humans were after me for sometime." Crowley's voice broke slightly as he said that, making the angel's chest tighten. Who would ever want to hurt his demon? 

"Oh dear… I’m so sorry. I-"

"Don’t apologize, Angel. It’s not your fault, I’ve just had too many bad experiences with this sort of thing." Crowley yawned before lying down and resting his head against his pillow, he was beginning to feel tired again. The angel tucked him in gingerly (miracling his thin blanket into a thick comforter) and stroked his hair, listening closely to the demon’s steady breathing before deciding to speak again.

"Have you ever let someone take care of you Crowley?"

"What?!" Crowley was caught off guard when the angel said that as he perked up suddenly and felt heat rise in his cheeks. 

"Has anyone ever taken care of you?" Aziraphale asked again, a bit more drawn out this time before Crowley shook his head in response. "Would you like that?" He offered and the demon just shrugged unsure of how to feel about this new proposal. No one has ever asked him anything like this or considered what he  _ wanted _ , and it was strange. Especially since it was Aziraphale of all people - the one he’s been spoiling endlessly for the past six-thousand years (i.e. dinners at the Ritz, crepes in Paris, saving him from nazis).

"No… I don’t think I should."

"It wouldn't hurt to try, would it?"

"Well no…"

"Then why don’t you?" He asked a bit pointedly, looking down at his demon with loving eyes. "You’re not doing anything wrong and I certainly wouldn't mind trying this with you. If you want to, that is."

"I just don’t know how I feel about losing that much  _ control _ . When I’m Little I don’t necessarily make the best decisions and it’s gotten me in trouble before, Angel." Crowley explained, as he thought about all of the unpleasant things he’s experienced due to his classification.

"That wouldn’t happen. I’ll be right there with you, dear." The angel assured giving the serpent a soft smile. 

"And what if I decide I don’t want to."

"Then we can stop at anytime."

"Anytime?"

"Yes." Aziraphale said as he pushed a few stray hairs from the demons face. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course, always."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- wow that was a bit of a rollercoaster :)  
\- prepare for some much n e e d e d fluff over the next couple of chapters


	9. Chapter 9

The first night of their new arrangement was awkward and it took some time for things to actually progress. You see similar to Crowley, Aziraphale was an idiot too. They were both idiots together. When the angel asked his demon if he wanted to try this new proposal he didn’t actually expect Crowley to say yes. (Well he didn’t actually say ‘yes’ it was more of a tentative ‘ehhhhhhh… alright angel. let’s watch this all burn to pieces’ - though that would have to suffice for now.) 

They both stared nervously at each other for God-knows-how-long before somehow stumbling into an even more inelegant conversation which consisted mostly of ‘ums’ and ‘i means’ as they walked on eggshells around one another because Aziraphale had no idea what his Little wanted and Crowley wasn’t in much of a position to actually know what he desired. But eventually after that whole fiasco they were able to settle on having a nice cuddle together since the demon was awfully tired, still feeling cold from being out in the rain, and the angel was the perfect body temperature for a snake to bask in.

Next the angel hopped into bed with freshly miracled pajamas of his own (tartan, of course) and laid next to his demon, who wrapped himself around the other man’s soft body almost instantly. Aziraphale watched over Crowley adoringly as the demon fell asleep, snoring softly with his face buried into the blonde’s chest. It wasn't the first time that they've both done this but there was definitely something different knowing that Crowley was a Little - his Little - and he couldn't help but smile to himself when he thought that, silently vowing that he would do anything to savor these precious moments as long as the demon would permit him to do so.

***

Crowley was surrounded by fire as he ran aimlessly around the bookshop looking for his friend. It seemed like he had been searching for hours though he had just arrived. 

Was he going in circles? Or was the bookshop bigger than he remembered? He thought to himself before shouting, "AZIRAPHALE! ANGEL! WHERE ARE YOU?" but no one heard him. He tried calling his friend again but there was still no response as the air got thicker. It was smoke and he suddenly couldn’t breathe. Shit! Why did his corporation have to fail him now? He needed more time. He needed to find Aziraphale. He didn’t even have the chance to say sorry. To tell Aziraphale that he loved him. To tell Aziraphale that he didn’t mean what he said. 

He continued to look finding a dark Aziraphale shaped figure standing amongst the chaos. Crowley ran to it and held it tightly. "Aziraphale I’m so sorry. I won’t leave you ever again. I won’t I promise." The demon expected some type of response from the other man but there was nothing. "Aziraphale?" He asked, as he loosened his grip around the infultraitor’s waist and backed away slowly, sensing that something was wrong. Something was terribly, terribly wrong.

"It’s too late." The figure finally said revealing his face to the demon. Crowley was horrified by what he saw next as flames engulfed his angel, leaving behind a pathetic pile of ash.

Then there was darkness.

***

"Shhh… I’m here there’s nothing to fear. I assure you it’s just me, my boy." The angel cooed as he tried his best to comfort the sobbing demon. Crowley had been crying in his sleep for awhile and was finally beginning to be more aware of what was going on as he crossed between the barrier of being asleep and being awake. He was no longer in the bookshop. There was no fire. He was in his flat. Aziraphale was here laying in bed with him and... Wait!

Crowley sat up quickly only to find that his worst dreams had come true, he had wet the bed and Aziraphale was here. Oh no… The angel would surely leave him now. The demon began to cry more intensely now as the realization hit him. They had just started their new arrangement and he already messed things up. Why did he even think that it would be a good idea? Aziraphale couldn’t possibly be happy with any of this.

"What’s the matter dear?" The angel asked coming closer to where Crowley was on the bed and it didn’t take him long to figure out why his Little one was so distressed, finding something warm and wet. He then, without saying a word, took the demon in his arms and miracled away the sodden sheets, replacing them with new clean ones. Crowley just watched in awe as this all occurred he had expected Aziraphale to be angry or at least irritated by the fact that he had made a complete mess of himself and the bedding. But he didn’t even flinch and continued as if nothing was wrong. 

"Are you alright, dear?" Aziraphale asked, Crowley just buried himself deeper into the angel’s embrace in response, too embarrassed to say anything and the principality took the hint. So they just stayed like this for sometime as the demon continued to cry (he seemed to be doing a lot of that over the past twenty-four hours) before he calmed down enough to begin to feel the need for sleep pull him down again. He fought it though afraid that his mind would conjure up more horrible scenarios.

"Rest." The angel simply said, noticing how Crowley wrestled with himself to stay awake before running his fingers through the demon’s hair and placing a kiss atop his head. 

"May you dream of whatever you like most."


	10. Chapter 10

Aziraphale’s Little miracle did work wonders on the demon, allowing the occult being to sleep soundly throughout the rest of that night. He woke up feeling refreshed and energized for his day as he stirred within the angel’s grasp. 

"Good morning, my boy." A cheerful voice whispered softly and Crowley felt a gentle hand brush his cheek as his eyes fluttered open. "Did you sleep well?" 

Crowley nodded in response and smiled contentedly, that possibly was the best sleep he's gotten since… well he couldn't really say. He just felt so good right now, at this very moment. 

"I'm so glad to hear that." Aziraphale said before pulling away from the demon to get himself ready for the day. Crowley whined, disappointed that he couldn't stay close to the angel a Little longer. But the principality hardly noticed, too preoccupied with the day he already had planned for the both of them. "I was thinking dear, that it would be good that we go out today."

"G _ o out? Why would we do that?" _ The demon thought, as Aziraphale mircaled himself into his usual attire, before knitting his brows in confusion and giving the other man a very annoyed expression. 

"Don't give me that look." The angel chided. "This will be fun! I could go to the store and get supplies and maybe you could pick out some toys."

"I'm not a baby Aziraphale." Crowley grumbled not very pleased with this sudden change of pace. "I don't need toys."

"It was just a suggestion, dear."

"Anyway why do we even have to go out? You could just miracle everything we need right here."

"I know."

"Then why?"

"Because, I want to do something nice for you." The angel said as he watched Crowley’s face became red and turn away bashfully. Why did Aziraphale always have to be so unfair? So  _ nice _ . He didn’t want to go out not when he was feeling so small. 

"What if I don’t want to go?" Crowley asked petulantly, pouting slightly as he spoke.

"Then that’s your decision. But I could imagine that you wouldn’t enjoy having anymore of my cooking because if I’m going to take care of you I’m doing it properly..." He then paused flashing Crowley an almost,  _ almost _ , menacing look. "... the human way." 

"Fine." The occult being replied. Aziraphale was really testing his patience this morning.

"Great!" The angel clapped his hands together excitedly as he walked over to the demon. "Let’s get you dressed, hmm?"

***

The outfit that Aziraphale whipped up for Crowley wasn’t anything close to what the demon would usually wear - a long navy blue jumper patterned with stars paired with black leggings and red combat boots. The demon tugged at his collar nervously as the angel guided him around the mall. He didn’t necessarily dislike the outfit but he wasn’t pleased with the way that it made him look so kiddish in front of everyone, in  _ public _ . It was almost as if Aziraphale was trying to broadcast his classification to all of London, though he couldn’t argue against his angel when he was this happy to spend the day with the demon. If Aziraphale thought that this stupid outfit was cute. Then he would wear the stupid outfit. Proudly. 

They continued walking for sometime before making their way to their destination, a store specifically meant for Littles. Above the entrance there was a sign which read  _ Clementine's  _ in a cutesy font which Crowley recognized immediately before making an abrupt turn in the opposite direction. He had seen the store before whenever he had made trips here for business reasons (usually performing demonic miracles to inconvenience his fellow mall patrons) and oftentimes he would come here to watch Caregivers and Littles going about theirs lives with a sense of contempt. 

_ "Why were they so happy? Don’t they care about how other people think? What a bunch of weirdos?"  _ He would often contemplate to himself, and now he couldn’t stand the thought of being judged in the same manner.

"No. There is no way I’m going there." He said to the angel as he desperately searched for the nearest exit. Azriaphale chased after him before stopping him in his tracks.

"Where do you think you’re going?" 

"Home."

"What? Right now? We just got here, dear. We can’t go back now."

"Sure we can."

"Crowley." That angel said assuringly, placing a firm hand on the serpent’s shoulder. "I promise. No one will think anything less of you if you go in that store. People buy goods from there all of the time and we will only get what we need and leave."

"But, everyone will know."

"Know what, darling?"

"That I’m… y’know..."

"Little?"   
  


"Shh! Don’t be so loud people will hear you."

"Now, this is ridiculous. You are the only one who’s making a big deal about this. It’s a department store. It won’t kill you to look around, will it?"

"No it won’t but…" The demon murmured as he looked down sheepishly at his feet.

"We’ll only be there for an hour, at most. Then, I promise we can go home after that."

"One hour?" Crowley asked, tilting his head slightly as he spoke.

"Yes. One hour, not a minute longer."

"Alright." He agreed begrudgingly before they made their way back to where they previously were. "I’ll go into the stupid store."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- please forgive me for any inaccuracies. i'm an american imposter who's trying (and possibly failing) to write this fic because i'm not very familiar with the common terminology/finances of things in the uk. o(╥﹏╥)o  
\- also i was heavily debating if i should make this chapter angsty or not  
\- i decided to make it fluffy  
\- but remember, dear reader. that won’t come without a price further down the line. :)

The Little demon trailed closely behind his caregiver, holding Aziraphale's hand as they walked together. The store was a lot bigger than he originally thought, and he had to admit that the way it was set up was pretty cool. 

When they entered there were so many different trinkets strewn about (left for Littles to play with while their Caregivers shopped) that the demon almost couldn't keep track of it all.

One thing that particularly caught his eye was a marble racetrack that was set up behind a display window. He watched in amazement as the different colored spheres ran down the metal track, passing through various gears and levers, before making their way back to the starting point and cycling through the contraption in an endless loop. The demon was a bit sad when he had to leave it behind. But, then quickly reminded himself that he really didn't need it (besides, he 'wasn't a baby') and shouldn't waste the angel's money when he saw the toy's hefty price tag (£80).

So they continued to look around, Aziraphale hummed to himself merrily as he worked. Grabbing some bottles, lotions, soaps, pillows, fleece footie pajamas, and a nice soft baby blanket that was black and patterned with green snakes - Aziraphale thought it was absolutely adorable. And while all this was going on Crowley repeatedly insisted that he "didn't need any of these things" to which the angel replied "I'll return it if you don't use it". Afterward, he suggested that the serpent should go out and explore on his own because he could tell that Crowley was getting bored walking around the far less exciting part of the store. (Also, he had a feeling that the demon wouldn't be very happy with the next purchase he was about to make.)

"Go?" The demon questioned, looking back to the play area where the other Littles were. "With them?"

"Yes, or anywhere else you desire. I won’t be too far and I’ll meet back up with you in just a minute." The angel was already walking away before Crowley had the chance to protest. So the demon just stayed there waiting, anxiously fidgeting with his jumper, he didn’t expect for Aziraphale to leave him so suddenly. Was he too much? He really was being a pain today, wasn’t he? Asking too many questions. He probably scared Aziraphale away with his usual sour attitude. Aziraphale didn’t need that right now, the angel was trying to do something nice for Crowley and he messed it up royally. 

"Are you lost?" A voice asked, almost causing the demon to jump in place, he noticed a familiar warm sensation run down his thighs. Fortunately, the demon had enough sense to miracle it away before anyone would have noticed what had happened. The occult being then turned to find where the voice was coming from, it was another Little - she was shorter than the demon with light brown skin and her hair in a curly bob, wearing a light pink shirt with matching converse shoes, a crown,  _ lots  _ of fake plastic jewelry, and baby blue overalls.

_ "Are you lost?" _ She said again, a bit slower this time, but there was still no reply from the ginger. "It’s okay, I don’t bite… most of the time, anyways… If you’re lost you can come with me for awhile, if you want?" 

After a bit of debate Crowley agreed to her offer, nodding shyly in response. The girl walked over to the demon grabbing his hand and leading him to the play area with all the other Littles.

"My name’s Opal. What’s yours?"

Crowley didn’t answer, looking at his feet as he followed the strange Little. 

"You don’t talk much, huh? Well that’s alright… I like that, it’s kinda weird. Maybe if we don’t find your family I can convince my mommy to take you home with us, you looked pretty scared all by yourself." 

_ Oh he did? Was he really becoming that soft? _

"I remember when I got lost. I was at the grocery store with my mom and I couldn’t stop crying. You’re lucky that I found you so soon because when I got lost I was searching for my mommy for hours." She then sat Crowley down amongst an array of soft plushies before taking her own seat across from him. "But, you know what?"

Crowley’s brows raised over his dark glasses in curiosity.

"It was okay afterwards because my mommy gave me ice cream for a whole week. I’m sure she’ll treat you to ice cream if we don’t find your Caregiver. Anyway, what do you wanna play?" 

The serpent was quite impressed by the fact that she could casually switch the conversations subject from a traumatizing experience to ice cream within a minute and was caught off guard by her question. So he just shrugged, hoping that she wouldn’t force him to make a choice and thankfully the universe was working in his favor.

"Don’t know? That’s all good! You know what I like to do? I like to build huge block towers and knock them down. One time, I even created my own city and reenacted the events of Godzilla. Do you wanna do something like that?"   
  


Crowley nodded. He liked making things and playing a game like this didn’t seem so bad (especially since he had the chance to watch it be destroyed after the fact).

The tower that the pair of Littles made together was pretty notable, constructed out of every block that they could find in the play area and Opal had the brilliant idea of knocking it down with a dodgeball. The tower came down with a loud crash, startling the others that were close by. Crowley had fun with her, though he had to admit she was pretty strange and he was a bit put off by the maniacal look she had on her face after destroying their short-lived creation. It wasn’t long before Opal’s mommy came back - she was a slender pale woman with long dark hair and bright green eyes who wore a plain black dress (a stark contrast to her Littles very colorful get-up) - and without giving Crowley the chance to object Opal dragged the demon along with her to meet her Caregiver.

"Look what I found!" She exclaimed proudly, presenting Crowley to her mommy as if he was going to be their new family pet. "Can we take him home with us? I think he’s lost." Her mommy sighed, a bit troubled, as if she had encountered this situation prior to today. (Which was completely true.)

"Opal. Sweetheart. You’ve gotta stop trying to take home random things you find around town. I could deal with the frogs you brought home last week, but you can’t be taking people from the department store. Did you even check to see if your new friend has a family?"

"Yes, of course! What do think I am, a monster? I wouldn't just steal him." Although, that was exactly what she was trying to do. "I asked if he had a Caregiver, but I don’t think he talks."

"Goodness…" The woman said, pressing on the bridge between her nose. "Do you remember when you got lost?"   
  


"Mhmm."   
  


"And there was that nice worker who took you to the front so I could find you?"

"Mhmm."

"Well, Opal you should have taken your friend to the proper authorities so he could find his Caregiver. Imagine, they must be worried sick right now."

"Oh…" Opal replied and the demon could physically see the gears turning in her head as the realization hit her before she spoke again. "WELP! I guess we should go do that."


	12. Chapter 12

As anyone may have logically guessed, Aziraphale wasn’t worried at all about his dear Little demon and it wasn’t for any fault of his own he just got a bit carried away with his shopping spree and he bought a bit (actually a lot) more than he had originally planned. But all of the cute nappies had him gushing and he just had to buy them all. Though, he eventually settled for just three boxes of them - one with stars, another with snakes, and one with Little ducks - (because that was completely reasonable). He also ended up buying another pair of footie pajamas, because of course his demon needed them it was very cold at night.

When Aziraphale had finished making his purchases he had hardly noticed how much time passed, he had been there for almost an hour (which really was like nothing to him since he’s been alive for so long), and before he could distract himself further he ran directly back to the play area where he had left Crowley. There was no one there. Luckily, one of the staff had called on the loudspeaker about a ‘lost little with red hair and sunglasses’ and the angel immediately ran to the front. Finding Crowley sitting in a chair with an embarrassed look plastered on his face next to two others - a woman with long straight hair and another who Aziraphale assumed was her Little.

"Oh goodness! I’m so sorry Crowley, I just lost track of time." The angel knelt down in front of the demon, checking to see if anything was wrong with him, but there didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary. 

"Are you his Caregiver?" The woman asked the angel.

"Yes." He replied standing up again while Crowley stood close to him, eager to get back home.

"My little girl found him and they were playing together. I apologize for not bringing him to you sooner but Opal sometimes gets a bit over excited when she makes new friends and she didn’t tell me what happened until it was too late."

"Don’t worry, I'm sure she didn’t have any ill intentions." Aziraphale said, looking to Opal with a cheerful smile then back at her Caregiver. "I’m just glad you told me when you did. I would have been searching for ages if you didn’t."

"Well you are very welcome. My name is Eva, by the way." The woman said, with her hand outstretched, the angel took it and shook it firmly.

"Aziraphale, pleased to meet you." 

***

Eva and Aziraphale talked for sometime afterward before exchanging goodbyes and agreeing that Opal and Crowley should meet again at a later date. Opal seemed very happy about this and Crowley was too (although he wouldn’t admit it). 

Then the angel and demon went back to the bookshop for the first time in two days. The occult being dragged his feet across the floor as he walked through the shops entrance, tired from the long day that he had with his new friend. Aziraphale picked him up gently and placed the boy on his hip, taking him into the backroom before sitting him down on the sofa. 

"Wait here, my dear." The angel instructed, "I just need to put some things away. I’ll be back in just a moment." This time the angel, stuck true to his word only spending ten minutes to put away all of the supplies that he had bought that day. He came back carrying a large box, neatly wrapped in red gift paper and tied with a black bow, and when the demon saw it he couldn’t help but feel heat rush to his cheeks as the angel placed it in front of him. Aziraphale made the universal gesture of suggesting that the serpent should open it. Crowley was very hesitant at first, unwrapping the black ribbon slowly before rushing to tear the gift open. When he saw what it was he gasped and looked at the angel astonished then back to the package - it was the marble racetrack.

"Awww, Angel. You didn’t have to…" The demon said, wiping tears from his eyes as the angel sat next to him.

"I saw you looking at it in the store and I thought you might like to have it. Was it not what you wanted? Or-"

"No, it’s perfect… I-I do... I like it a lot. Thank you, Aziraphale."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- sorry that this chapter is so short!  
\- and here’s a quick shout out to wondercurls1917 → thanks so much for the wonderful idea! aziraphale would totally get carried away with diaper patterns. bless his heart. :,)


	13. Chapter 13

Crowley opened the packaging, looking inside and taking his gift out of the box. The demon experimented for a bit before actually making anything, fiddling with the different parts that the racetrack came with and observing how they all fit together. Aziraphale watched him closely with a delighted expression on his face, it was amusing to see the demon work and he was surprisingly very serious while doing so. Crowley worked diligently, fashioning every part of the track together without very much trouble at all (he didn’t even need to look at the instruction manual) and when his product was complete he stood back and let out a simple ‘done’ before looking to his angel. 

"Brilliant!" Aziraphale replied as he sat down next to Crowley on the floor. 

The racetrack was different from the one in the store, but it wasn’t any less interesting to look at. The pieces themselves were made of a bendy metal (probably aluminum) which connected to several columns attached to a board. There were also several sections of the track where the demon put gears and levers so the marbles could catapult to different sections of the raceway. The demon also made sure the marbles would continue to loop around the track, instead of stopping after only one cycle (because that would be incredibly boring). Aziraphale could tell that Crowley was quite pleased with himself and the angel was also thoroughly impressed by what the boy had made.

"Try it out, darling." The ethereal being said as he placed some marbles into Crowley’s palm, encouraging the demon to test his contraption. It worked (albeit with a few minor adjustments).

After a good couple of minutes of watching the colored orbs speed around the course the serpent grew tired again as he leaned his weight into Aziraphale’s shoulder. It wasn’t long before he felt a pair of strong arms pick him up, take him upstairs, place him on the bed, undress him, lay him on this back, and then... 

_ "No." _ Crowley objected angrily, scooting backwards to find that Aziraphale was holding a fluffy white nappy in his hands. He was feeling tired earlier but he was WIDE AWAKE now and there was no way in Heaven, Hell, or anywhere else that he would put that  _ thing _ on.

"It’s just a precaution, dear. You looked so distressed last night when you… well…" The angel made a quick flourish with his hand. "...and I’m guessing that, that happens more often than you are willing to admit."   
  


"I know what I did, Angel." He hissed back, glaring at the ethereal being with piercing yellow eyes. "Just because I’m Little doesn’t mean that I don’t have control over these types of things. Last night was a fluke. I had a bad dream, remember?"

"Are you sure it was only last night?" Aziraphale raised a brow in inquiry and noticed how Crowley covered his face with his hands, which only proved his point further. "I’m only doing this so you can feel more secure, my boy. It must not be very comfortable to wake up with wet sheets." He reasoned, his voice was gentler now. Crowley still stayed on the other side of the bed though, still not quite convinced by the angel’s claim. "I will not think anything less of you if you decide to wear them or not."

"You won’t?"

"Of course not. I love you, Crowley and I just want you to be happy." He said, giving the demon a gentle smile. "I don’t mind doing this for you. But if you don’t need nappies we could always get rid of them." Then the angel pouted, a bit saddened by the possibility. "It would be a shame though… this one has little cute ducks printed on it."

_ "Ducks?"  _ Crowley thought,  _ "Aziraphale didn’t say anything about ducks."  _ The demon looked over curiously to find that the nappy did indeed have little ducks on it. He liked ducks.

"Well… It wouldn’t hurt to try, I guess…" Crowley offered, scooting back to the other side of the bed reluctantly. If he didn’t like the nappy he could always say no. Besides, wearing this wasn’t that bad, it was only him and Aziraphale afterall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this whole chapter in a nutshell:  
\- crowley: no diapers!!! e v e r. >:(  
\- zira: look there’s ducks.  
\- crowley: ducks????
> 
> (ﾉ∇≦*) idk why but I just think that's hilarious.


	14. Chapter 14

Putting on the nappy felt  _ strange _ . Not in a bad way, just very… intimate. Crowley covered his face as Aziraphale did what he needed to do, powdering him up and using various creams, and when the angel was finally done the demon was relieved that all he had to do was put on his pajamas, go to sleep, and forget about the whole ordeal till morning. Though he was surprised when Aziraphale gave him a soft peck on the cheek, telling him that he was being so ‘good’ and ‘was so proud’.

“Ssshut up.” He replied with an obvious blush growing redder on his cheeks. “I’m not good...”

Aziraphale just smiled in response as he dressed his demon into his new footie pajamas which matched his snake blanket (snaklet), he laid his little down gently before miracling his own night clothes on, turning off the lights. and laying down next to his demon. He looked back at Crowley who was staring at him with bleary eyes and he couldn't help but feel his chest tighten.

“Good night, dearest.” He whispered, pulling the occult being closer to him.

“Night, Angel.”

***

Crowley was restless the whole night, tossing and turning violently in his sleep. Aziraphale didn’t sleep well either because as soon as he noticed how disturbed his demon was the angel was plagued with worry. At first he tried his best to wake the serpent up, in hopes that it would help Crowley escape from whatever awful, twisted, fantasy that his mind had conjured up this time. Though it ended up making matters worse and the demon only cried more intensely. Aziraphale knew things were really bad when he saw that his wings had materialized (which was only natural considering the kind of stress the demon was under).

“Zira… where are you?” The occult being murmured as he slept and tears continued to flow down his cheeks. 

“I’m right here darling.” He responded, holding Crowley close to him and rocking him gently. Maybe if he did this long enough the demon would rest peacefully or at least become aware enough to realize that he was just dreaming. 

“Fire…”

“What fire?” Aziraphale asked, stroking the demon’s hair. 

_ “Was he talking about the bookshop?” _

“Don’ go… I don’ wanna lose you… please.” The angel began to wipe the tears from his eyes as he continued to mumble incoherently. Occasionally the ethereal being was able to pick out a string of words, which confirmed that Crowley was indeed dreaming about the bookshop fire. He contemplated performing that minor miracle again but concluded that it would only be a short-term solution, what Crowley really needed was to talk. So he decided to wait, no matter how much it pained him to see his demon so distraught.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- it's time to get back to some good ol' angst :)


	15. Chapter 15

When Crowley finally woke again it was 2:00 am and the demon fussed as he slowly opened his eyes, which were still red and puffy from crying. His head felt staticy and he was undoubtedly more tired than he was before, hardly realizing that the angel was speaking to him until he felt fingers run through his hair.

"Crowley? Are you awake, dear?" The angel cooed, knitting his brows in worry as he watched his little one stir uncomfortably within his grasp, flapping his wings lazily as he moved. The demon hummed sleepily, sitting up from where he was before feeling something wet and squishy between his legs. He shifted nervously in response embarrassed by what he had done in his sleep. Aziraphale observed this and immediately attended to the demon’s needs. Well… that was the plan, anyway. 

"Wait." Crowley said as soon as the angel had laid him across the bed for his change.

"Whatever is the matter?" The angel asked, confused by the demon’s sudden refusal.

"Don’t need another one." Speaking in almost complete sentences seemed to really drain the occult being’s energy as he rubbed his eyes tiredly and yawned.

"I would hate to disagree with you. But you’re wet and I’d hate for you to get a rash." Aziraphale continued to unbutton his pajamas but the demon was being quite stubborn right now.

"No… please... It’s gross and you shouldn’t have to." He said grabbing Aziraphale’s hands and forcing the blonde to stop what he was doing.

"Crowley." The angel breathed out, softly caressing the demon’s cheek. "You don’t have to be ashamed, it’s only me."

"But…" The demon attempted to protest though he was a bit too tired to remember what he was about to say, instead he frowned, a bit unhappy with how his mind was betraying him at the moment. So he let the angel continue, recognizing that he wouldn’t be able to come up with a cohesive argument in his tired state. 

Aziraphale finished the change quickly before speaking again. "Maybe we can stay up for a bit, hmm?" He suggested, assuming that Crowley wasn’t really in the sleeping mood and he was proven right when the demon nodded eagerly in response. 

"Great. I’ve got a treat waiting for you." He said, as he took the boy into his arms and carried him into the kitchen. He placed a pot on the stove before sitting Crowley down at the dining table so he could work. There was a moment of silence while the demon watched Aziraphale, who was humming to himself as he prepared their midnight snack. It wasn’t long before the angel spoke again, addressing that night’s previous events.

"Did you know you talk in your sleep?" He asked, looking back to where the little demon was seated. Crowley’s shoulders tensed slightly when he heard the question.

"No… I didn’t." He replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Well, tonight you were talking about a fire." He then placed a mug of hot cocoa on the dining table for Crowley before taking his own seat next to him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Crowley raised the mug to his lips and shook his head, not wanting to speak about his dream.

"Are you sure? It seemed awfully upsetting to you."

"I don't wanna talk, Angel." He grumbled, wrapping his wings around his body so he wouldn’t have to look Aziraphale in the eyes. There was another moment of silence that followed that and the angel looked down to the floor. When they finished Aziraphale took Crowley’s mug from him and carried it to the sink to wash. The room was quiet except for the occasional clatter of dishes. He didn’t want to force Crowley to speak to him about what happened, afraid that the serpent might run away again just like last time. But it hurt to just let it go. It hurt so much...

"Do you remember Heaven?" The demon said, taking Aziraphale by surprise. He looked back to Crowley, whose back was turned to the ethereal being with his black wings on full display, they looked beautiful in the room’s dim lighting.

"Yes, of course. It hasn’t been long since I last visited there you know."

"Not what it’s become now but… back then."

"Oh…" The angel put the two mugs on the dish rack to dry before walking back to the dining table and taking his seat again. "That was so long ago, dear… but yes… I do."

"Can you tell me about it?" Crowley asked, looking to the angel with wide eyes.

_ "Why was he so desperate to know about Heaven? Doesn’t he remember?"  _ Aziraphale thought, a bit confused by Crowley’s request. 

"Well… I remember that Heaven was quite nice back then." He began, clasping his hands together as he spoke. "When I was created I was given the duty to attend to God and be Her guard… if that makes any sense. Although, it actually doesn’t now that I think about it, no one was in real danger then. I mean-"

"Angel, you’re rambling."

"Oh sorry. Anyway, I was Her guard for some time until I was called to fight in the War against the rebellious angels. I’m sure we both remember that well enough…" He chuckled nervously, glossing over the subject as unpleasant memories flashed through his mind. "After that was over I was sent to Earth, I met you, got demoted, and the rest is history."

"Was She nice?"

"Who?"

"God… you said you were Her guard so you must have spoken to Her, at least once. Was She nice?"

"She was actually… She was very kind to me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- The best way to deal with traumatic life experiences is with a loving angel and a bit of hot cocoa. ☕  
\- also, i like to think that they are using their angel and devil mugs in this scene.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- i’m sorry so sorry guys. even i didn’t feel good writing this.

Crowley didn’t sleep the next day. Or the day after that. Or the day after that.

Which technically wasn’t a problem, he didn’t need to sleep. But, when you’ve been doing it for thousands of years you are bound to go through withdrawls. Aziraphale could tell that he was in much need of a break but didn’t mention it thinking that the demon probably needed time to think about what was troubling him. Though, he could tell that every night that Crowley spent laying awake in bed was abosolute torture for the demon but everytime the angel tried to convince him to rest he refused, insisting that he ‘was completely fine’ before getting up to walk around for a bit or to water his plants (which were recently brought to the bookshop).

"Crowley, dear?" Aziraphale said, he was sitting in his chair with a book in his hand while the demon was playing with his marble racecourse - which was something he’s been doing a lot these past few days to keep his mind off how his bones felt like they were made of lead. 

"Ngk." He responded, not even looking up from his hands. Right now he was trying to snap one of the plastic columns to the baseboard but the bloody thing wasn’t even staying on. Why was this harder than he remembered?

" _ Crowley _ ." The angel said again, a bit irritated by the fact that the other man was ignoring him. "Did you hear what I said?"   
  


"What was that, Angel?"

"I asked you if you wanted anything to eat?" 

"..."

Aziraphale got up from where he was sitting, placing his book on the coffee table, and knelt down next to Crowley. The demon hardly noticed what had happened and was startled when Aziraphle tapped him on the shoulder.

"What in Heaven are you doing? No. I don’t want anything to eat. Just leave me alone okay." Crowley hissed angrily, slamming the pieces of the track together but it still didn’t attach so he tried again with more force. "Shit!" The demon cursed when the pieces snapped, turning his head directly in Aziraphale’s direction. This wasn’t going to be good. "Look what you made me do!"

"I didn’t make you do anything." The angel said defensively, "I was just trying to talk to you."

"Yes you did. I already told you to leave me alone! It’s obvious that I don’t wanna talk.  _ I was busy. _ "

"Busy? All day you’ve been playing around with the toy that  _ I  _ gave you. The same toy that  _ you  _ just broke."

"So what? It’s mine. I can do whatever I want with it." Crowley then threw the broken pieces onto the ground bitterly. "I don’t even care about the stupid thing anyway… it doesn’t work."

"It would work just fine if you stopped being so rough with it."

"I wasn’t being rough!"

"You clearly were, if you weren’t then the track wouldn’t be broken." You could hear the disappointment in the angels voice, which somehow made it worse and the demon couldn’t stand it. 

"SSSHUT UP!" Crowley yelled as tears of frustration came to his eyes. 

Nothing was right, right now. He was so damn tired and just wanted to rest. But he couldn’t because when he slept he dreamt, and when he dreamt he dreamt of fire, and when that happened he woke up crying like an idiot. He hated crying, it was so fucking useless. The angel attempted to wipe the tears from Crowley’s eyes but the demon backed away shamefully. Why was Aziraphale like this? He was being bad and he didn’t deserve his affections. Why didn’t Aziraphale just tell him to leave? Go back to his flat? Fly away to Alpha Centauri? Something! Instead of looking at him with those sad eyes.

"I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner but I can’t continue to enable you to hurt yourself like this."

"‘m fine…"

"No. You’re not." He said taking the Little in his arms, the demon squirmed in protest but Aziraphale held him firmly before carrying him upstairs and laying him down on the bed. "You need to rest dear. After that, we are going to talk."


	17. Chapter 17

“Raphael.”

“...”

“Raphael. Are you paying attention?” She called again from the dark void, then suddenly there were rays of light emanating from it. She was here.

“A-Ah… Yes, Lord?”

“I want you to show me the progress you’ve made thus far. Hopefully you haven’t been wasting your talents on frivolous games, have you?”

“No, Lord...” The angel replied nervously, trying his best to sound convincing (and clearly failing at it).

“Oh really? Then why don’t I see very many changes? Those nebulae should have been finished ages ago.”

“Well um… you see I…”

“What is it this time?” There was a hint of irritation in Her voice as She spoke having encountered this problem before.

“I couldn’t quite get it right. I don’t think they have enough… sparkles...”

“Right… I can also see there is a surplus of comets flying around in that solar system. “

“What? You don’t like them? I think they’re quite enjoyable.” Raphael explained with fake enthusiasm. He knew he was in trouble again and he was only trying to delay the inevitable. 

“That’s not my point Raphael, we don’t need more comets, it’s impractical.” She let out a deep sigh before speaking again, the angel was really testing Her patience. “Gabriel has been making extraordinary progress on the weather. Lucifer just started making the new designs for the humans thought patterns. Micheal and Uriel just finished classifying the different species of duck.”

“What’s a duck?”

“Don’t interrupt me Raphael.”

“Sorry, Lord.”

“I gave you this task for a reason and I’m expecting great things from you. But, it’s disappointing to see that you’re falling behind everyone else. I know you have the potential to do what’s been assigned to you, you just need to stop distracting yourself.”

“But… I-”

“Shh… I know it may get boring at times being here all by yourself, but I wouldn’t have given you this task if you weren’t capable. Understood?”

“I understand. I won’t disappoint you again.”

“Good. I’m glad that you learned your lesson. I expect that you finish those nebulae by the time I come back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- whaaaat??? there’s plot now??? gosh i definitely didn’t see that coming. lol.


	18. Chapter 18

Crowley woke up alone and sick with guilt. He wasn’t surprised by the fact that Aziraphale wasn’t there with him. It probably was what he deserved, anyway. He looked around the room finding the racetrack on the bed stand completely fixed (most likely due to a minor miracle the angel had performed) with all of it’s pieces neatly organized and put away next to a note which read:   
  


_ I am downstairs. Come to meet me when you are ready. _

_ -Aziraphale _

_ "Of course he fixed it."  _ Thought the serpent as he brought his knees up to his chest and bowed his head down. The angel was being too good to him even though he was so horrible or maybe this was Aziraphale’s way to make his punishment worse - to kill him with kindness and slowly watch him break down as shame courses through his veins.

It took some time but the demon was able to force himself to get out of bed and make his way out of the bedroom despite how small he was feeling at the moment. He shuffled his feet lazily across the ground as he walked he felt his wet nappy rub uncomfortably against his thighs, though he ignored it since he was more concentrated on getting this talk over with. Aziraphale was probably furious with him right now and Crowley was trying to prepare himself for the worst possible outcome.

When he made it to the bottom of the stairwell he was greeted with a smile. "Hello darling, did you sleep alright?"

Crowley nodded timidly although his rest was far from peaceful. But he didn’t want to make Aziraphale even more disappointed with him than he probably already was.

"Come take a seat on the sofa, dear. I’ll be just a minute then we can talk about what happened, alright?" Aziraphale got up from where he was sitting and made his way to the kitchen. "Do you want tea?" He asked but the demon stayed silent, shaking his head ‘no’ in response. "Okay. Call me if you need anything." The angel came back to find his little looking at the floor as he gripped at the sofa cushions, his knuckles were turning white as a result of this and it worried Aziraphale immensely. "Crowley?" He said before taking his own seat on the sofa and placing his tea down to cool.

"Yeah, Angel." The demon croaked, his voice hoarse from lack of use. He could feel his heart pounding in his ears. 

"Are you alright? I hope I didn’t frighten you."

"N-No… you didn’t."

"You seem tense." The angel said, brushing one of Crowley’s fists, the demon jerked away and pulled his hand close to his chest. He was not okay. "Are you sure you’re ready to talk? You can rest some more if th-"

"No!" His breath quickened. "I-I mean… no…" He started to cry again, but wiped his tears away quickly because he needed to be big right now and he didn’t want Aziraphale to feel sorry for him. "How long wasssss I out?" The demon asked before biting his tongue, he hated how his snake like tendencies would pop up at the worst possible times. Especially now when he was trying to have a serious discussion.

"Only a few hours, I actually expected you to sleep longer." Aziraphale chuckled nervously, wringing his hands together as he spoke before continuing. "I didn’t necessarily appreciate the way you spoke to me Crowley."

"I-I know…" Crowley looked down and sniffed. "This was all my fault, wasn’t it? I’d understand if you don’t want me around anymore. I can go, if that’s what you want?"

"No, never. Why would you think that?"   
  


"You seemed so upset earlier and I thought… nevermind. It doesn’t matter. I just hope you’re not upset?"

"I was... but I’m not anymore. I understand why you were angry and I’m sure you won’t do it again. But, I think we should talk so we can avoid having situations similar to this." He looked over to Crowley very seriously, taking his drink to his lips. "Tell me, Crowley. What really happened during the fire?"

"I already told you, Angel. I came back to get you and the building was on fire. I went in, I got the book, then left. Simple."

"It couldn’t have been that easy. I’m sure it must have been quite terrifying."

"No… I-It wasn’t."

"Don’t lie to me, Crowley. I heard what you said in your sleep the other night, you seemed quite bothered by it. Please tell me, what’s troubling you?" The occult being took time to think before he spoke again, staring blankly at the wall as he talked. Maybe forcing himself to go downstairs wasn’t the best idea.

"I-I couldn’t find you… and I thought… I thought they killed you." The demon looked away shamefully and felt his eyes begin to water. He tried to wipe away his tears again but he couldn’t stop. "I was so scared and then the firemen came. Everything was dessstroyed. ‘m so sssorry, Aziraphale. I should’ve came sooner I-"

"Shh… It’s alright, dear. I promise you’re safe now."


	19. Chapter 19

The angel held the demon close, stroking his back softly and whispering sweet nothings into his red hair. He didn’t realize how much the fire had affected Crowley and was so sorry that the demon was keeping all of this pain to himself for so long. Crowley listened as Aziraphale told him how ‘brave’ he was being and how ‘proud’ he was of the little for finally telling him. The serpent didn’t feel this way though and it only caused him to feel worse about the situation. But, he didn’t resist any of the angel’s affections and just let himself dissolve into tears while Aziraphale comforted him and it wasn’t long before his crying stopped. Though, there was a dampness that ran onto the angel’s leg that caused the demon to tense up slightly. Oh no...

"S-Sssorry…" The serpent immediately apologized shifting uncomfortably in response. Aziraphale quieted him though, placing Crowley on his hip and taking him back into the bedroom.

"There’s no need to fuss, dear." Aziraphale said laying Crowley on the bed for his change. "I’ll get you all cleaned up, then maybe you can play after. How does that sound?"   
  


Crowley shook his head and pouted. "Tired."

"Oh, alright." It didn’t take long for Aziraphale to finish the change. He removed Crowley’s old sodden clothes (which were his silk pajamas since they didn’t have any Little appropriate attire yet) and replaced them with the footie pajamas along with the matching snakelet (snake blanket). The angel made a mental note of getting his little some more things - probably some plushies and a few cute outfits to wear when he’s out and about. 

Once the demon was tucked in, Aziraphale miracled a baby bottle filled with warm milk and honey before bringing it to the demon’s lips. Crowley sucked on it lazily too tired to be embarrassed about what he was doing. Later he would wake up to realize what had happened and make a big deal about it. But right now all he cared about was the fact that his angel was there smiling at him with loving, caring eyes and whispering to him softly as he drifted off into a dreamless sleep. And for the first time in a long time Crowley could say that he felt almost happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- just thought of this!! should the snake printed footie pj’s be called snootie pajamas????  
\- the snaklet and the snooties {*≧∀≦} pffft….  
\- please stop me now before i start going into dangerous territory  
\- i’m having too much fun


	20. Chapter 20

Aziraphale was finally starting to understand Crowley within his time caring for him and could finally pinpoint a few interesting things about the demon. 

1\. He was very quiet when he was little.

Not that, that bothered him the slightest, mind you. But it was just surprising considering how boisterous Crowley was around him over the six thousand years that they've known one another. When Aziraphale first noticed this he had opened his shop for the day and left the demon to occupy himself and after a few hours of complete and utter silence he was sure that Crowley had run away again. Aziraphale wouldn't admit this to anyone but he panicked, rushing to the backroom, only to find the demon sitting on the floor rewatching the third season of  _ The Golden Girls _ on his smartphone surrounded by several soft blankets and two new plushies that Aziraphale had recently gotten for him - a giant red dragon and a little black unicorn. There was a very awkward conversation that was held after that whole fiasco which went along the lines of:

"What's going Angel? You okay? You look like you saw a ghost."

To which that angel replied. "Uh… no… I-I mean yes? Nevermind. Just go back to doing whatever it is your doing. I just came here to grab a few books for... sorting purposes?"

"Oh, okay then."

He didn't really sort his books. Instead he just clumsily went in and out of the backroom every two or three minutes to make sure any suspicious activity wasn't going on (completely ignoring his customers and earning him several bad Yelp reviews in the process). After about an hour of this Crowley was thoroughly displeased by Aziraphale's antics and called him out saying, "Angel, would like to ask me something?"

"Oh no I…"

"No? Then stop circling me like a damn vulture. If I knew you liked  _ The Golden Girls _ so much I would've given you my Netflix password already." 

2\. When he wasn’t having nightmares, he actually looked quite cute when he slept.

Oftentimes Aziraphale would find Crowley passed out in random places. On the couch, in the middle of the floor, underneath Aziraphale’s desk. (Basically anywhere he could sit still for five minutes and close his eyes). Once he turned into a snake and nestled himself inside one of the bookshelves, scaring a few customers in the process and he ended up getting a stern talking to from Aziraphale. Which wasn’t actually that bad for the demon to sit through because he could tell that the angel was internally grateful that he didn’t have to part with another one of his books. But, in the end he wasn’t allowed to sleep there anymore. 

Another time Aziraphale found Crowley laying on the couch cuddled up next to his giant dragon plush with his hair pointed in many crazy directions and drooling slightly. It was probably the most adorable thing he had witnessed in his whole six-thousand years of life and if he had a camera he would’ve taken a picture. 

Unfortunately, the polaroid camera that he used to own was stolen by some college kid who was trying to impress a girl interested in photography. Aziraphale didn’t notice it was gone until it was too late. Crowley did though and caught the little bastard in the act and by some inexplicable reason the boy ended up running out of the bookshop in complete horror. (Although the demon couldn’t save the camera, which broke when the boy dropped it on the hardwood floor when he was making his way out of the bookshop.)

So instead of taking a picture Aziraphale just sat there watching his little one closely, occasionally stroking his fiery hair while he read. When Crowley finally woke up he was welcomed with a warm smile and several kisses being peppered on his face and neck. Crowley complained while this was all happening but was obviously pleased by the increase of attention he was receiving, apparent by how he was giggling like an idiot and the blush that was growing redder on his cheeks.

3\. Crowley really liked to create things.

Now, this didn’t actually surprise the angel considering how Crowley was probably the only demon (or angel for that matter) to have an imagination, it was always nice to see what he would do next and it seemed like the occult being actually had some skills. Along with the plushies, Aziraphale had gotten Crowley a set of blocks and art supplies to use. The first thing he made was a to-scale model of his bentley because he missed driving it around since he was spending so much time in the bookshop (he was also extremely bored on the particular day that he made it). He had also taken a liking to cooking and baking, claiming that if the angel wasn’t going to do it right he would try it for himself and actually have a  _ decent _ meal for once. Long story short, Aziraphale is no longer allowed in his own kitchen.

The demon’s most recent project was kept under wraps at the moment though and he wouldn’t even let Aziraphale see what he had made till he was finished. This was quite frustrating for the angel because he knew Crowley had been doing  _ something _ but everytime Aziraphale entered the backroom (where Crowley would spend most of his time now) all traces of what had been going on were miracled away into the ether, leaving a snickering demon in its place. 

"It’s a surprise, Angel." He would say every time Aziraphale tried to get a peek at Crowley’s newest creation. 

"Oh I know, dear. But it’s always so nice to see what you do." He replied cunningly with those big puppy eyes which always made Crowley’s stomach do all sorts of weird things. It broke Crowley’s heart to say no (along with many, many earnest apologies) but unfortunately it had to be done. This was special and he couldn’t have it be spoiled as soon as it began.

"I promise the waiting period would go by much faster if you stop sneaking up on me." He said, flashing Aziraphale a sheepish grin (the angel was seeing a lot more of those lately). 

"Fine. I’ll leave you alone." Aziraphale grumbled, leaving his little demon to finish whatever he was making. It took three days. Three  _ excruciatingly  _ long painful days. (But the angel had to admit, the wait made it even more exciting when Crowley called him into the back room to show him what he created.)

When he entered the room, there was nothing that looked particularly special except for a small watercolor illustration that was sitting on the coffee table.

It was the first day they met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- disclaimer: i don't really know if the golden girls is on netflix  
\- also the plushie dragon was not my idea. that stroke of genius should be credited to tenner. thanks for the awesome suggestion! o(￣▽￣)ｄ  
\- if you guys want to suggest ideas/prompts i will be sure to consider them. just keep in mind i may not use them all b/c i can only do so much writing . but i will try my best to include them if i believe they fit well with the story.


	21. Chapter 21

"Guess who I talked to just now!" Aziraphale said one day after speaking on the phone. He had a delighted expression on his face and he glided across the room to meet Crowley who was playing around with his blocks. 

"Who?" The demon replied acrimoniously, he wasn’t really in the mood to play guessing games but he had the feeling that, that was exactly what Aziraphale was going to do.

"Guess." Wow! Sometimes it was almost as if he could read the angel’s mind. (But, when you’ve known someone for six-thousand years little moments like this become quite predictable.)

"The prime minister."   
  


"Prime minister? Where would you get an idea like that, dear?" The angel said, tilting his head in inquiry. 

"You said to guess."

"I know but-" He sighed. "Nevermind. You aren’t any fun."

"That’s debatable." Crowley responded, feeling a small smile threatening to creep at the corners of his mouth when he saw Aziraphale shoot a bitter look in his direction. It was always fun to tease Aziraphale. Of course he wouldn’t do anything to make the angel furious but it was always entertaining to get under his skin every once in a while.

"Anyway do you remember that sweet girl from the toy shop? What was her name?" 

"Opal?"

"Ah yes! Opal! I was talking to her Caregiver and they were wondering if we would like to visit them on Wednesday." 

"Why?"

"They want to see you, silly! Apparently Eva told me that Opal was having such fun with you the last time you saw each other."

"I don’t wanna go, Angel..." Crowley whined, pouting slightly as he spoke.

"Why not? I’m sure it would be a great opportunity for you to meet other Littles." He reasoned, sounding cheerful as he spoke (as if that was going to change Crowley’s mind).

"‘Cause…" He began, trying to find an excuse for his disinterest in the play-date. "She’s weird."   
  


"Now Crowley you can’t go around judging people because they’re a little different."

"I know… but she’s  _ really  _ different and she started talking to me out of nowhere. I mean who in their right mind just goes up to a random stranger and drags them off to wherever, just to talk about taking them home with them? She was acting like I was going to be her new family pet. Plus I heard her Caregiver say that she likes to catch frogs!"

"Oh… well that frog thing is a bit strange…" The angel agreed. "But that still doesn’t excuse everything else you said about her. Darling, did she do anything to hurt you?"

"Well… no."

"Did you not have fun with her?"

"I didn’t say anything about that, Angel."

"Okay then. Why don’t you give her a chance? I’m sure you two will end up being good friends if you got to know her better." Aziraphale shrugged, "You don’t have to though, I could always run errands and you could stay here again. I also could go to my barber since we don’t have anything planned on that day. I have really been needing a trim."

"Aaaaggghhh… nooooo…. I hate that guy, why do you even go there? He’s always suggesting you a bunch of useless crap that you never need, like that horrible cologne that his nephew makes."

"I thought you liked my cologne?"

"I do… just not  _ that _ one." Crowley then took a deep breath and sighed, rolling his head back before deciding to comply with Aziraphale’s request. "Fine…" He said through gritted teeth. "I’ll go."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"That’s so great, dear! I’ll be sure to call Eva back and let her know we’re coming." The angel got up from the floor happily and made his way back to the phone. "This is going to be so much fun!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- i love to write their conversations b/c they always bicker like an old couple (probably b/c they are)


	22. Chapter 22

Crowley had never been to a playdate because he has never had the luxury of being a child before. He’s had human friends however but they never knew him well enough in order to be trusted to see him in Littlespace. He was especially worried for this reason because he barely knew Opal and he wasn’t even sure if it was alright to let her in on his secret. Despite the fact that the angel insisted repeatedly that it was okay during the days leading up to the visit - saying that ‘he wasn’t in any trouble’ or that ‘Opal has already seen you little so there’s no use in concerning yourself too much, dear’. Though, the angel’s words of reassurance didn’t help much and only made his mind wander more. Hell! It took him six thousand years to let Aziraphale see him for what he truly was (and that was the person he trusted most). So this was all very new, to say the least.

Aziraphale had dressed the demon in an outfit that was a bit more Little appropriate today - a red onesie hidden by overalls (blue jean material), white tennis shoes, and a large black hoodie which had cute pastel colored star and planet patches ironed on the sleeves. Still nothing too obvious, but enough to make Crowley a bit self conscious when they made their way to their destination. He was thankful that his outfit was able to hide the fact that he was wearing a diaper though so he didn’t complain much about it on the way there. Aziraphale also came well prepared with a leather satchel to hold any supplies he may need to take care of his little demon which Crowley wasn’t very happy with, claiming that he didn’t need anything. However, the angel highly doubted it and brought it anyway.

When they finally arrived they were greeted happily by Eva and Opal, who lead them into their home to discuss and have lunch. Crowley shyly trailed behind Aziraphale, holding his hand and shuffling his way around timidly before being sat down in the dining room next to Opal to eat while Aziraphale and Eva discussed over tea in the parlor.

"Hi, again!" She said, smiling brightly at the demon. She was wearing a bright yellow button down romper this time along with her usual plastic jewelry and crown.

"Hello…" Crowley mumbled as he stared at his food with disinterest. Today’s lunch was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a side of grape juice - also known as complete rubbish as far as the demon was concerned. He’s been spoiling himself and Aziraphale with gourmet meals practically every night now that he started cooking (also long before that with fancy dinner dates to anywhere the angel desired) and he was surprised by how someone could lower themselves to something so…  _ plain _ . 

"Oh, so you can talk?" Opal teased, taking another happy bite of her food. She was already halfway done while the demon’s plate was untouched. 

"Yeah… so what’s your point?" He said defensively, knitting his brows in annoyance.

"Nothing really. My mommy just thought you were mute so I was a little worried, it would’ve been bad to know if you got hurt or something. But it’s nice to know that there’s nothing wrong with you."

"Oh… sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you." 

"It’s alright. Are you going to eat that?" She asked pointing to his meal which was still lying there idly.

"No, you can have it if you want." He replied, pushing his plate in her direction. She dove right into it without hesitation while Crowley judged her silently. How could anyone enjoy  _ that _ ? When she finished she looked back at the demon excitedly then back to Eva who was still in the parlor.

"MA!" She yelled, startling everyone else in the room before Eva gave her a look. Particularly the ‘we have company. what in the world are you doing?’ look which was hidden behind a tight lipped smile.

"Yes. What is it sweetie? You don’t have to yell. I’m right here you know."

"Oh, sorry. Can we go now? We finished our food." She said, though that was a bit inaccurate. 

"Yeah, that sounds great. Why don’t you show your friend some of your toys?"

"Okay!" She said, grabbing Crowley by the elbow and dragging him through the hallway. Eva had a concerned look plastered on her face before she called out to her little again.

"Be gentle with him!"

"I WILL!"

***

"Please excuse, Opal. I know she may seem like a bit much. But I promise she really is a sweet girl if you get to know her." Eva said, when she took Aziraphale’s cup and headed to the kitchen to wash it.

"Oh it’s alright, dear. I’m sure her and Crowley are having a great time."

"Oh… I don’t know… Maybe I should go check on them." She said, looking back down the hallway where the two Littles ran off to. 

"Don’t worry." Aziraphale reassured, gesturing for her to sit next to him on the couch. "Come sit down. Why don’t we talk for a while?" Eva sat next to the angel letting out a deep sigh as she pressed her weight into the sofa cushions.

"What do you want to talk about?" She asked, looking to the angel pointedly.

"Well…" He thought, "How long have you been caring for Opal?"

"About three years now. She is a real handful, but I love her very much and wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’m a bit envious of you though, your boy seems to be very well behaved."

"What Crowley? No… I assure you he does have his bad moments. But, he tends to get shy around others he doesn’t know so well."

"Hmm, that does explain a lot." She agreed with a nod. "By the way, how long have you been caring for him?"

"About two weeks." He said happily, clasping his hands together as he spoke and a slight blush came to the angel’s cheeks.

"Congratulations! It must be so exciting!"

"It is. I’m still nervous about it however. But I think I’m starting to get used to taking care of him and he seems to be adjusting well, although there were some bumps along the way."

"Well, I’m sure you’re doing a phenomenal job and whatever you’re worried about now you’ll figure it out with time."

"Oh thank-"

_ AHHHHHHHH!! _


	23. Chapter 23

Opal's room was pretty cluttered and littered with all sorts of things - the most notable were a box of firecrackers, a group of dolls hanging by their necks from the ceiling (except one, which was headless), and a broken alarm clock that had a pair of strong arms duct taped on the sides. In the corner there was a loft bed, decorated with stickers and it looked pretty worn from use, which was next to her closet. The room also had a weird smell that the demon couldn’t place which was a mix between non-toxic glue and nail polish. It wasn’t a bad smell but not good either…

Judging by the decoration and overall atmosphere of the room Crowley could safely conclude that Opal was a bit older than him age wise (though he would certainly deny it if you asked) and it would be reasonable to guess that her age fell between 4 to 6, while Crowley was more in the 0 to 3 range most of the time. 

"What do you think?" Opal asked as soon as they entered the room, placing her hands on her hips proudly.

"Uhh… nice?" He lied, this was actually a nightmare for the demon who was a complete neat-freak. (Crowley's flat looks the way it does for a reason.)

"Great! Wanna do something cool?"

"Sure." Crowley responded apathetically, it wasn’t like he had anything better to do anyway. Opal opened the closet, in it there were even more strange things to a lesser degree however, since it still conducted it’s purpose of storing clothes which were piled on the floor. Above her clothes pile there was a shelf that held a chest kept under lock and key. For a second, Crowley wondered what might be inside it but changed his mind, thinking that it was probably best that he didn’t know. Next to the chest there was a cardboard box that had ' _ GAMES'  _ written on the side of it in permanent marker, among a few other old toys that were collecting dust on the shelf. Opal grabbed the box and dumped it's contents on the floor and gave the demon a mischievous look.

"Let's play,  _ High Stakes _ ."

"What's that?" Crowley asked, sitting on the floor and looking back at Opal curiously.

"Pfft! You don't know? It's only the best game ever!" She said, giving the serpent a wink. "I made it up myself, wanna try?"

"Hmm, alright. How do you play?" The girl then grabbed a deck of cards, a jar full of nuts and screws, and another which contained six origami paper cranes. "These are our pieces." She explained, pointing her finger at the jar with the screws. "The point of the game is to have all of the pieces to yourself. Got it?"

Crowley nodded.

"Okay. Each of us gets fifty of them to start off." She replied sorting out the jar and handing it to the demon. "These are your currency, you can bet as much or as little as you like. But you still have to bet each round. Unless you run out, which happens a lot with me."

"What happens if you run out?"

"Nothing. But if we go through the deck of cards you lose."

"Oh… Wait. What's the cards got to do with all of this?"

"Oh yeah I forgot!" She said splitting the deck evenly and giving one half to Crowley. "Here. This determines how many dares you have. Each of us has to put a card down from our piles at random, the one with the highest value gets the dare. So, for example, if you put down a king and I have a five you win the round and have to dare me to do something. If I do the dare I get the pieces we bet."

"What happens if we tie?"

"Then we go again until there's a winner. The loser owes the winner one dare per round it took to get there."

"But what if I don't want to do the dare?"

"Then you have to give up all of your nuts." She replied, "That's the high steaks."

"So are the cranes there for decoration… or?" The demon asked, pointing to the other jar.

"Nope! This is the best part actually! These are your life savers. You earn them by doing a dare that is super crazy. You can get one per game and you can use your life savers to skip other dares instead of giving away your stash, so use it  _ wisely _ ." She warned, shooting him a serious look. "Have any questions?"

"No. I don't."

"Good! Let's start."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- kids are weird.


	24. Chapter 24

There were two other things that Opal clarified once they started their game.

  1. You can’t repeat a dare. Regardless if the person decides to do it or not.
  2. In order for a dare to be considered risky enough to earn a paper crane there has to be a mutual agreement between all of the games participants. (In this case, Crowley and Opal.)

Opal drew a queen and Crowley had an ace. It was her turn to do a dare. 

"Okay." She said, considering what she should do next. "I dare you to talk in the third person for the rest of the game."

"What I can’t do that? That’s stupid." The demon replied, scrunching his nose in disapproval.

"Fine. Give me your pieces."

"Crowley will not be doing that today." He put his hand over the assortment of nuts and screws defensively, sneering bitterly at Opal for forcing him (not really, he could’ve given her his stash) to do something so dumb. Opal just giggled in response which made the demon more irritated. 

"O _ h, it is on."  _ He thought to himself. Today he would die a true hero.

"Fine. Shall we continue?"

"Crowley agrees to your offer." He said, as he happily took the pieces he earned from the last bet. There were only three but it didn’t make him enjoy it any less when he did so.

Next round, Crowley drew a ten and Opal drew a seven. So it was the demon’s turn to come up with a punishment.

"Crowley dares you to give him your crown."

"No way!" Now she was the one being defensive of her possessions, holding her crown securely on her head as if the demon was going to reach out and grab it at any second.

" If Crowley has to talk like an idiot, then Opal must give up her beloved crown." He argued, flashing her a wicked grin. "It’s only fair."

"Fine. But only if you promise to give it back at the end of the game."

"Crowley promises." He said with indifference, reaching for it before it was pulled out of arm's reach.

"I mean it! I’m about to trust you with one of my most prized possessions. So you better take care of it or I’ll snap your neck!"

"Did you just threaten me?"

" _ Third person. _ "

"I mean… Did you just threaten Crowley?" He repeated begrudgingly.

"I did. Jurassic times call for jurassic measures."

"It’s drastic."

"Whatever." She shrugged, "You know what I meant."

"Soooo can Crowley have the crown now? Because he’s getting tired of waiting."

"Yes, you may." She confirmed before handing him the old worn chunk of plastic.

"Hahahaha!!!" The serpent proclaimed pompously as he put the crown on his head, a clear sign that he was having too much fun with this game. "Crowley is now the most beautiful princess of all of the land."

"Princess?"

"Crowley has been waiting long enough for his prince." Six thousand years to be exact. "So his majesty might as well accept the role he’s been given."

"Oh… alright... You’re really enthusiastic about this, huh?"

They continued going head to head for about five minutes more and a few more objects were lost, namely Crowley’s jacket and some of Opal’s jewelry (the demon was now sporting a new pair of magnetic clip-on earrings that were shaped like gummy bears). Although they didn’t only trade possessions, it wouldn’t be any fun otherwise. So far the most exciting dare which the demon had thought of, was to draw a moustache on Opal’s face with a permanent marker, earning her half of Crowley’s pieces. The occult being was a bit discouraged about this defeat but redeemed himself after he called a pizza place and ordered chinese food all while still speaking in the third person and he got a paper crane.

Now it was the last round and it was Opal’s turn to come up with a dare again. She was very confident this time and placed all of her chips in for the win. 

"That’s a lot." Crowley commented, giving the girl the ‘are you sure about this?’ look. 

  
"I know. But I am one hundred percent sure that you will  _ not  _ do this." She stood up and went to her loft bed and took the mattress out of the frame and threw it on the floor, it landed with a hard thud. "I dare you to jump."


	25. Chapter 25

Crowley looked over the edge of the bed and felt his heart drop. It actually wasn’t that high but something about being at the top made him feel uneasy. And if his diaper was wet, he surely didn’t notice because of how scared he felt at the moment.

"I don’t think I can do this." He whimpered, completely forgetting about speaking in the third person and looking back to Opal who seemed a little too excited about this.

"Ah, sure you can! I’ve done it a bajillion times and it’s only about a three meter drop." 

"No thanks. You win alright I’m not going down there." He scooted backward so his back hit the wall. 

"Suit yourself, more fun for me." Opal went to the edge preparing herself for the fall. But was stopped immediately by a hand on her shoulder. 

"Wait! You’ll hurt yourself."

"I’ve already told you. It’s fine, look." She said, wriggling away from Crowley’s grasp and then immediately falling backwards.

"NO!"

There was a loud crash and then the sound of something snapping, then-

_ AHHHHHHHH! _

***

Aziraphale and Eva rushed into the room where they found two crying Littles - one on the ground writhing in pain and the other ugly crying in the loft, completely shocked by the unfortunate turn of events that happened (a.k.a. basically any Caregiver’s worst nightmare). Eva instantly ran to the girl picking her up gently before telling Aziraphale to get Crowley while she called the hospital. The demon was carried down from the high place then quickly taken into the front room. He watched in horror as Opal screamed and hollered and it only caused him to panic more than he already was.

"Z-Ziraphale… I-I tried… t-to…" He attempted to explain, though it didn’t really come across as anything cohesive. Thankfully the angel understood placing him down on the sofa before speaking.

"Shh… it’s alright. I know you two didn’t mean to cause any trouble but you have to be more careful, understood?"

Crowley nodded, trying his best to choke back sobs. 

"Can you be brave for me and wait here while I go help Eva?" The demon nodded again, and Aziraphale kissed his head before leaving. After about fifteen minutes he came back and scooped Crowley up in his arms. 

What followed was a rushed trip to the ER and several hours of waiting in a white room amongst other worried individuals who were probably there for more serious reasons. When Opal came out she was fine (despite being a bit loopy on painkillers) with a splint on her arm smiling happily. 

"Wazzup..." She chimed, leaning into Eva’s side before looking to Crowley and running over to him. Crowley still looked quite grim feeling guilty for the unfortunate turn of events.

"Opal wait!" Her caregiver said although it was already too late to do anything about the girl’s reckless behavior.

"Check out what I got!" Opal held up a bag full of candy. "I have enough sugar to last me till next year!" That was a bit of an exaggeration, "Sorry I scared you."

"‘s fine..." The demon replied shyly, "Glad you’re okay."

"Yup! I should break my bones more often if that means I’ll get free stuff."

"No. Please don’t do that, dear." Aziraphale said, "You don’t want to scare your mum again, do you?" (Finally a voice of reason.)

"Oh yeah… I guess not." She replied before speaking to Crowley again. "Anyway, thanks so much for coming today! I’d really appreciate it if you come to my birthday party next week, all of my friends will be there and I really think you should meet them." 

"Yeah." He sniffed, "Sounds like fun."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- a little more than a week ago I did say that i was going to make a really angsty chapter. today was not that day. at least not yet. (o ╹ ‿╹o)


	26. Chapter 26

"No, Lucifer. I am not coming with you and that's final."

"Awe, come on Raphael! Do you really want to stay cooped up here forever?" The angel questioned, looking to the other expectantly.

"You and I both know that we’re not supposed to go there, only the Seraphim have access to the sacred grounds. Besides, I have work to do." He waved his hands letting a flash of light spark through the air. It was a fun little trick he liked to do from time to time, but right now it was being used to emphasize his point.

"We won’t get in trouble."

"You mean  _ you _ won’t get in trouble. Of course you won’t She just  _ loves  _ you, everyone does. You’re like the golden boy of Heaven. But I will have Her trailing behind me every second when She finds out I went there with you."

"If She finds out."

"In case you’ve forgotten Luci I still have a whole universe to occupy with stars and planets and other celestial bodies." He said, reaching into the dark void which seemed limitless.

"And how’s that going for you?" Lucifer crossed his arms while flashing the other angel a playful smile.

"Fine. Thank you very much." Raphael’s face turned red with annoyance before he sighed. "You’re lucky y’know… I don’t get why you’ll even try to sabotage the great opportunity you have been given."

"She’s replacing us!"

"You don’t know that!" He shouted back. "Lucifer you have the privilege of helping God make humans anyone would give their right wing to be in your position. Goodness, I would give away both of my wings if I could work on Earth or at least in Heaven with everyone else. Instead, I’m stuck here all of the time and it doesn’t even feel like I’m doing anything important."

"What do you mean? Of course you’re important! You’re an archangel, remember?" The angel reassured, patting Raphael on the back.

"No one even notices me Lucifer! Every time God sees what you, Gabriel, Uriel, or Michael do She always says things like ‘wow you’re doing so great!’ or ‘you are all working so hard!’. While, She’s always telling me to fix something."

"Now that’s not-"

"You know it’s true. I don’t need your sympathy." Raphael slumped hopelessly in place, sulking a bit as he spoke. "So please, stop it Lucifer. I’m not going to fall for another one of your games. Now if you’ll excuse me I have to finish this quasar."

"I don’t understand you, Raphael. You aren’t happy but you don’t do anything to fix it. You’re always running away from your problems and you just let others make you feel bad about yourself." Lucifer smirked. 

"I don’t I-"

"You don’t have to lie. I can see it, that’s why you’re stuck. Don’t you ever wonder why you’re here? Why you’re doing all of this work? It’s because you’re letting yourself become weak."

" _ I said stop it. _ " Raphael replied through gritted teeth, looking back to the other angel with a cold glare.

"Woah! There’s no need for hostility. I’m just speaking the truth, Raphael. Anyway, I never said that there isn’t a way for you to become stronger and my offer still stands. Come with me to the sacred grounds, I promise you won’t regret it."

"And why is that?"

"Because I believe I figured out a way to overthrow God."


	27. Chapter 27

_ I'm a fool to want you _

_ I'm a fool to want you _

_ To want a love that can't be true _

_ A love that's there for others too _

_ I'm a fool to hold you _

_ Such a fool to hold you _

_ To seek a kiss not mine alone _

_ To share a kiss the Devil has known _

_ Time and time again I said I'd leave you _

_ Time and time again I went away _

_ But then would come the time when I would need you _

_ And once again these words I'll have to say _

_ I'm a fool to want you _

_ Pity me, I need you _

_ I know it's wrong, it must be wrong _

_ But right or wrong I can't get along _

_ Without you _

_ I can't get along _

_ Without you _

***

"Beautiful voice, Angel. But I'd appreciate it if you didn't sing in front of my plants. You're making 'em soft." Crowley sat up slowly and hunched forward, holding his dragon plush close to his chest before looking back to the angel who was holding a mister in his left hand. 

"You weren't supposed to hear that… " Aziraphale had an embarrassed expression on his face as he placed the mister down. "Anyway," The angel shot a playful smile back at the demon then booped his snoot, the action made Crowley’s nose tickle and his face scrunched uncomfortably in response. "Why would I do that?"

"I’ve ssseen the way you talk to ‘em. I’m  _ not  _ pleassed..."

"Well, in my defense, you seemed quite tuckered out from yesterday. So I thought I would do something nice for you."

"I could’ve done it myself."

"I know." He said, placing a kiss on the demon’s cheek. "How did you sleep, love?"

"Eh… I slept okay. Weird dream."

"About what?" The blonde asked, looking to Crowley curiously. The demon put his head down in thought and it took him some time for him to answer.

"I don't remember." He lied, "Old memories I guess… but it's all mashed together in my mind. I don't think you'd understand even if I tried to explain it to you."

"Ah, well I hope it wasn't anything bad."

"No." The demon replied, hiding his face behind the dragon. "It wasn't bad _ . _ " He wasn't lying this time, compared to other encounters he had in Heaven or Hell, the conversations he had with Lucifer were fairly okay.

"Alright." Aziraphale sighed, he didn't exactly feel happy about Crowley's dishonesty. But he decided to let this go, at least for now. "Why don't we get you ready for the day?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- sorry that this chapter is kinda short i have been quite busy over the past couple of days. so i might be taking a break from this fic for a while (possibly for about a week) since i unfortunately have some other real life business to attend to. :,)  
\- if you would like to leave prompts/idea’s while i’m gone feel free to do so and i’ll be sure to consider them.  
\- anyway, i hope you are all having a great day/night! and hopefully i’ll be back with a new chapter next week. (・ωｰ)～☆  
\- also! can we just take a moment to appreciate michael sheen's voice??? loike i just found out this guy could sing and oml (i’m probably late to the party on this but idc)!!! ahhhhh!!!  
\- i really would love to write more about azi singing in the future. :0 or crowley!!  
\- they could sing together!!!  
\- that would be so lovely <3  
\- song credit→ i'm a fool to want you by billie holiday


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- wow… right when i say i’m going to take a break, i decide to stay up till 3am and do this. lol.  
\- welp, the break was fun while it lasted. (which wasn’t very long at all)  
\- hope you guys enjoy the next chapter.

_ "Am I weak?" _ Crowley thought to himself, the words that Lucifer said to him in his dream stuck with him. It's been ages since he had fallen but ever since he's been here with Aziraphale and been letting the angel take care of him Crowley couldn't help but wonder. Be aware that it wasn't the first time the occult being had spent time sulking about past occurrences, but it was different now. Aziraphale was here. So obviously he couldn't just shut himself away for a century or run off to some far off place and the realization made him feel vulnerable. 

" _ How could Aziraphale even consider taking care of me _ ?" Aziraphale must be getting bored of him by now, it's already been two weeks. " _ He must think I'm taking advantage of his kindness. _ " He was being greedy, wasn't he? Sure, he tried to help as much as he could with the cooking and things like that. But that still didn't compare to the small fortune the angel must be spending on toys or diapers and he wasn't even worth it, Crowley wasn't a fun baby like Opal. He wasn't energetic and full of life he liked to lurk and was boring and quiet. 

"What do you think of me?" Crowley asked after they had finished getting ready for the day (complete with a change, breakfast, and morning snuggles) and Aziraphale was about to open the bookshop for a few hours.

"Huh?" Aziraphale replied, caught a bit off guard by the strange question. He immediately noticed Crowley's change in mood once he saw the way the demon rubbed his snakelet nervously and gnawed his thumb (suggesting that he could also use a pacifier).

" _ Oh it was one of those days."  _ He thought, it was no wonder why he felt something was off this morning.

"W-What do you think of me?" The demon asked again, a little quieter now that he had caught Aziraphale's attention. He looked down shyly before pulling his knees to his chest from where he was seated on the sofa.

"What I think of you?"

"Yea…"

"Well…" He paused, looking up to the ceiling as he contemplated on what he should say. "I know you don't like when I say this but… I think you're quite kind and oftentimes misunderstood by others around you, dear."

"Misunderstood?"

"Yes, they treat you badly because of what you are..."  _ What I am? What does Aziraphale mean by that? Because I'm weak?  _ "... and although you may not always show it, it hurts you so I believe that you need help."  _ Help? He must pity me… oh no...  _ "Does that make sense?"

"Uh… yeah it does." Crowley said, very solemnly. He felt awful about what he did, making Aziraphale feel sorry for him for this long then benefitting from his generosity. The angel couldn’t help but feel pity for Crowley because of his classification (of course, he was a Caregiver) and the demon’s overall inadequacy but it still didn’t make it right.

“I’m glad we came to an understanding!” Aziraphale said cheerfully, causing the demon to feel worse. “Maybe after I close shop we can do something special today. Would you like that, dear?”

“No.”

“No? Why not?”

“I was… I was actually planning on being big today.” Crowley lied, standing up from where he was seated and putting down the snakelet. “I wanna drive the Bentley.”


	29. Chapter 29

"Go for a drive? Now?" Aziraphale said as a thousand horrible ideas flashed through his mind in an instant. Did he say something wrong? Was he dreaming? Of course he expected Crowley to want to be big at some point but he didn't anticipate it happening so soon. Not when Crowley was making so much progress and it finally seemed like the demon was beginning to get used to their new arrangement.

“Yeah I missed driving.” He replied as he made his way up the stairs into the bedroom, Aziraphale followed behind him.

“I can help you get dressed, if you would like?” Aziraphale suggested, stopping the demon in his tracks. Crowley looked down at the other man impatiently.

“Nah, really I’m fine.” Crowley attempted to get past the angel though he was stopped again.

“Wait. I’m worried, dear. It feels like you are making a rash decision… If you want I can come with you to make sure you’re safe.” The angel said, looking back to the demon who had an unreadable expression plastered on his face.

“Why? Do think I can’t drive?”  _ Do you think I’m weak? _

“No. That’s not what I’m saying, darling.”

“Good.” He smiled, there was a sense of anguish behind it though which caused every molecule in the angel’s being to go crazy. “I promise I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Trust me, Angel. I’ve done this countless times and nothing bad has ever happened. Why would anything happen now?” Crowley reasoned, causing the angel to feel frustrated. On one hand, he wanted to keep Crowley as far away from that death machine called a ‘car’ as long as possible. On the other, he couldn’t argue with the demon’s logic, he knew it wouldn’t be right to keep him away from the Bentley he loved so dearly because it’s never caused him any harm in the first place (even when he drove it through a wall of flames). 

“Alright...” He replied hesitantly as he let Crowley pass him. After a few minutes, the demon came out of the bedroom dressed in his usual attire complete with his black blazer, his scarf/tie thingy, impossibly tight pants, and those terrible dark glasses which kept his beautiful eyes hidden.

“How do I look?” 

“Nice, as always.” The angel smiled as an attempt to hide the disappointment he felt. “Have fun!”

  
“Thanks, I will.” The demon said as he made his way to the door. Hopefully he would not be gone for too long this time.


	30. Chapter 30

If it wasn’t already obvious. Crowley didn’t have a plan when he left the bookshop. His thinking was more along the lines of ‘get in the damn car and drive’ which was what he immediately did as soon as he found the Bentley. He traversed through the streets of Soho aimlessly for hours (having a few minor accidents here and there, nothing that couldn’t be solved by a minor miracle though) and eventually he found himself in the middle of nowhere on an empty road surrounded by fields and trees. 

He  _ definitely  _ wasn’t lost, he told himself when it began to get dark. He could just turn back if he wanted to and find his way home at any moment. But he was fine, he just needed to do this for a bit longer. Clear his head and maybe things would be better. After a few days he could come back to the bookshop, yeah a few days sounded alright, probably by that time Aziraphale would forget he had left altogether then Crowley would have the opportunity to stop all of this ‘Little’ nonsense. Sure, having a Caregiver was fine while it lasted but it couldn’t last forever Crowley knew that much was true at least. So he would go back, pretend the last two weeks never happened, take Aziraphale on a nice date at the Ritz (or something along those lines), then apologize for everything and try to repay him back somehow. Sit through one of his ridiculous ‘magic’ shows? Free crepes for the next century? Crowley was undecided.

He continued to speed down the roadway at one hundred and twenty miles per hour (a speed that the Bentley shouldn’t be able to reach by any means but it always had some help from hellish influences) it was probably the fastest he had gone in a while and he was feeding heavily off of the adrenaline rush he was experiencing at the moment. 

_ "Yeah, this was fine." _ He assured himself, but that may have been the adrenaline talking. He  _ definitely  _ didn’t notice the way tears were streaming down his cheeks or the vice like grip he had on the steering wheel and his shallow breathing. No he did not. Besides he only had a few more miles to go then he would find his destination (whatever that was).

  
He looked outside at the stars it was a clear night and a new moon causing each one of the multicolored specks to light up the sky brilliantly.  _ "Cursed things."  _ He thought to himself, not really meaning it, his reaction was mostly out of anger and frustration. The demon turned a corner before accidentally swerving out of control, the road looked like streaks of vibrant hues colliding into each other before dispersing into a pervasive darkness and it was beautiful, in a sort of morbid way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Short, but not so sweet… ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	31. Chapter 31

_ "I know I shouldn’t have let him go out there alone. What if he’s hurt? Or worse?" _

The angel quickly dismissed the thought from his mind before deciding to call Crowley’s phone for the tenth or twentieth time (he lost count). He was greeted by a very irritating and equally familiar message before slamming the phone down in dissatisfaction. He fumbled with his hands and paced around the room, feeling restless and looking toward the front door as he weighed the options in his mind.

"Crowley is his own person." He reminded himself, despite every instinct in his body basically screaming at him to do something. "He would return when he's ready." He said again, not sounding so convinced by his own words although they have spent much longer periods of time apart from each other. But, Aziraphale couldn't help but be concerned about the demon's well being and nothing about what happened this morning felt right in the slightest.

It wouldn't be so terrible if he went to search for Crowley, right? It would only be a quick trip around town and he was sure that he would probably find the serpent at some pub or doing other demony things. It honestly didn’t take long for the angel to decide that he should search, taking his coat with him as he left, only to find that it wasn’t a ‘quick trip’. He looked everywhere. Saint James Park. Crowley’s flat. The Ritz. But there was no red haired man with dark glasses to be found anywhere. He was in full panic mode now and even contemplated calling Shadwell to gather a search party (though that probably wouldn’t do him much good right now). 

_ "What if I flew to him?" _ He thought, deducing that he would have a higher vantage point and would travel much faster. However he would run the risk of being caught by humans and if those humans were the dangerous type he would also be risking his own safety. But none of that really mattered now, did it? Not when Crowley could be half-way across the world alone and scared out of his mind. 

He tried his best to go through with his plan discreetly going up to a high building then gliding off into the night sky far above the people below him. He never was the best flyer so he was thankful that the weather was fairly pleasant this evening (possibly the only good thing that had occurred all day), so it probably wouldn’t take too long for Aziraphale to find the demon. At least that’s what the angel hoped.

***

Crowley woke up among shards of broken glass and scrap metal with his head rested on what used to be a dashboard that now looked as if it was fused to the hood. He coughed, spitting out chunks of blood (not a good sign) before sitting up. He was welcomed by an agonizing pain in his chest and he had to take another moment to lean backward against the seat, the pain was caused by a few broken ribs, he reasoned as he attempted to stumble out of the Bentley. The demon fell onto the grass, letting out a strangled cry in response and a bit more coughed up blood was lost as a result, then he got up again using the car’s door frame for support so he could observe the damage. 

What Crowley hit was a tree he realized as he staggered clumsy around the vehicle. "I’m so sorry…" He muttered apologetically to the old thing. "I’ll fix this, alright?" He said, stepping backward and using the last of his energy (which wasn’t very much) to miracle away the countless scratches and dents caused by the crash and by the time he was finished the car practically looked brand new. The demon on the other hand didn’t look so good hurling over onto the ground again and shivering, it was really cold all of a sudden, and he curled up against the side of the tree which he hit, resisting the urge to close his eyes afraid that if he did, he wouldn’t be able to open them again… but he was so, so tired. 

Crowley felt a familiar sensation like he was underwater, sinking deeper and deeper into a cold unforgiving ocean that wouldn’t let him go, he’s discorporated many times before but everytime it has happened it wasn’t any less terrifying. The worst deaths were similar to what he was experiencing now slow and painful as you gradually felt yourself drift into nothingness. It was harder to breath now and his lungs felt like they were burning which was an uncomfortable contrast to how frigid he felt on the outside. 

  
_ "Maybe I should just sleep…" _ He thought, deciding that it would be better to get this over with and think about the consequences later, concluding that Hell wouldn’t let him go anytime soon. It was inevitable anyway. He would’ve had to deal with them sooner or later. He then took a few more strangled breaths, his eyes drooped down slowly as he looked off into the distance with blurred vision. And in his last moments he could have sworn he was reunited with the stars, soaring high above the clouds. But it could’ve just been his imagination.


	32. Chapter 32

Aziraphale was horrified by what he saw in front of him. Crowley looked absolutely mangled with numerous scars and bruises littered across his face and body as he lay on the ground next to a tree that wasn’t far from his Bentley. The car looked as if it was untouched by the awful turn of events that occurred only a few moments prior.

"Crowley!" The angel cried, kneeling next to the occult being and shaking his limp body. Though there was no reaction to this and it only made Aziraphale fret more (if that was even possible at this point). He immediately miracled away any all of the demon’s major injuries causing his broken ribs to heal and his internal bleeding to stop. However, the angel couldn’t do anything to his minor cuts at the moment, afraid that if he healed them now without cleaning them they would get infected. Next, he snapped the Bentley back to its usual parking space. A far more impractical miracle that Aziraphale would normally avoid doing but right now wasn’t a normal occasion, besides he highly doubted that anyone was keeping score anymore. He then lifted the boy securely into his arms before catapulting them both skyward. 

The trip back to the bookshop felt extremely long because Aziraphale kept a close eye on Crowley to ensure that the occult being was still breathing. Thankfully, he did still breath albeit very shallowly, but it was hard to tell if that was the case when you are flying through the sky at top speed. The demon felt like he weighed almost nothing in his arms, reinforcing the fact that he was very fragile at the moment and Aziraphale was trying his best not to do anything reckless, afraid that if he made one wrong move Crowley would shatter like a piece of glass. 

The angel handled his baby with the same love and care as he did with one of his rare first edition books as he carried him through the shop’s entrance then hoisted the demon up a flight of stairs and into their shared bedroom. He laid him down gently onto the bed, getting his medical kit to disinfect the wounds before immediately healing them. Afterward, he rid the demon of his old clothes (using a few minor miracles to take off those impossibly tight pants) and into a fresh nappy along with a far more comfortable pair of footie pajamas which had little ducks printed on them. Crowley was then surrounded by as many pillows and blankets that the angel could find in addition to his two plushies (the unicorn and the dragon) to keep him company. 

Aziraphale tried everything he could to make sure that the demon was as comfortable as possible but could only worry because of how lifeless he appeared to be in this state. The scariest part of this whole ordeal was that the angel wasn’t ever completely certain that he had done enough and watched over Crowley helplessly with tearful eyes. How could he allow this to happen so easily? He knew something was wrong but he didn’t do anything before it was almost too late to save his little one. Now he was forced to stand by desperately, uncertain of how events would turn out and he hated it, it was like his own personal Hell. Crowley was right there in front of him but there wasn’t anything he could do as he watched the demon suffer. 

He was crying in earnest now as sobs wracked his whole frame, hunched over on the edge of the bed while the demon lay next to him completely unaware of what was occurring. The angel continued like this for sometime before crying to the point that his body couldn’t produce anymore tears and soon realized that all he could do was wait for the serpent to wake up. So that was exactly what he did as an uneasy feeling began to settle within him.


	33. Chapter 33

"I almost expected you not to complete your duties, but I’m quite impressed by how you were able to pull this off, and in such a timely manner as well. Now, I would like you to go to the habitual sphere and await further instructions along with Gabriel and Uriel, alright?"

"Yes, Lord."

"Good." She said to him before making Her way to Her next destination. But she was stopped.

"Wait… um…"

"What would you like to ask me Raphael?"

"Why did you have me do this?" He began, "Would it have made a difference if the sky were completely black? Was it really that important for me to be here all of this time? I-I mean-"

"How have you been getting these peculiar ideas?" She questioned, moving closer to the angel.

"Ah… no one. Not that it’s a particular individual… I’ve just been thinking, that’s all."

"Thinking… hmm… Well ideas like that can become dangerous, even to the point of inciting havok and disorder among certain individuals. I assume you are aware of what happened at the sacred grounds?"

_ "The sacred grounds?"  _ He thought,  _ "Wasn’t Lucifer supposed to go there?" _

"No, Lord."

"There was a group of unruly angels that decided to steal the weapons from the armoury and burn down the place. Unfortunately, we haven’t had enough evidence to pinpoint who was involved but there is clearly some suspicious activity going on and I would hate for you to get wrapped up in something like that. However we will have absolutely nothing to be concerned about as long as you don’t go around asking anymore foolish questions." She then walked passed him before looking back to say something else. "Raphael?"

"Yes, Lord."

"What you created here was quite wonderful and I’m positive the humans will enjoy it as much as I do."

  
"Thank you, Lord." 


	34. Chapter 34

Aziraphale didn’t open the shop now that most of his time was spent attending to the demon’s needs as he recovered - constantly adjusting his pillows and blankets, checking his diaper, or just making sure that Crowley was still breathing. He read as well when there wasn’t anything else to do as he silently stroked the boy’s fiery hair with his spare hand to assure himself that the occult being wouldn’t suddenly vanish into thin air. Which was now a legitimate fear of his even if it was highly irrational. But considering all of the distress the demon had put him through his reasons for possessing this fear were somewhat justifiable. 

And eventually after three whole days of constant helicoptering the demon had finally awoke, his eyes fluttering open blearily and unfocused. Crowley’s mind felt hazy as he took in the scenery around him, it looked as if Aziraphale was there standing over him and talking. Though the words that the angel was speaking sounded muffled and he still felt as if he was sinking into a deep ocean. But despite that he tried to use the small amount of strength he had to wipe away the tears that were spilling around the corners of the angel’s eyes.

"Shh…" He whispered, "Angel pleassse don’ cry." Crowley felt very little right now and the fact that Aziraphale was crying made him cry, which made the angel cry harder, and before long it turned into a vicious cycle. But, at least the tears that were shed were out of joy rather than something less pleasant.

"I apologize, my boy." The angel said as he tried his best to pull himself together before very gently taking Crowley into his arms. "I’m just so happy you’re alright. What happened out there?"

"Sorry…" Crowley now was the one apologizing and he backed away from Aziraphale’s hold as feelings of guilt began to plague his mind. Aziraphale reached over to where the demon sat to invite him back into his arms. But Crowley didn’t take the offer and instead sucked his thumb nervously as he pulled his knees close to his chest. " ‘m so sorry… I lost control an’ everything happened so fassst."

"Shh… None of this was your fault, love. I should’ve kept a closer eye on you."

"It isss, though. I was being bad. B-But… I jusss’ th-thought I could do it but I couldn’t…"

"It’s alright, Crowley."

"No!" The demon shouted, his body was trembling as he shook his head violently. " ‘s not… if I can’t do something as simple as driving what am I? ‘m ussselesss… I can’t do anything anymore… ‘m just some dumb baby... ‘m weak, Zira and I don’t deserve any of this." 

"Weak?" Aziraphale was taken aback by the demon’s words. "No, no… Crowley you couldn’t possibly mean that, right?" The occult being just looked away in response, confirming the angel’s suspicions. 

_ "Was that why he was so adamant on driving?" _ He thought, realizing that the demon was using the Bentley as a way to prove to himself that he was adequate.

"Crowley, listen closely, I need you to understand this." He then took Crowley’s face in his hands and kissed his brow. "After all of the amazing and generous things you’ve done for me in Paris, the Nazi’s, Rome… There is no way I will ever view you as useless or incapable, no matter how big or little you are. Those things are the reasons why I love you, why you are better than you think you are. So please believe me when I tell you, you are not weak. In fact, you are the bravest, most kindest, individual I know and don’t you ever forget that. "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- short and sweet. for real this time. :)


	35. Chapter 35

The crash took a lot out of Crowley and Aziraphale couldn’t help but notice how he wobbled clumsily when he attempted to walk around. Aziraphale who was still in full worry mode made the executive decision to sweep the occult being off of his feet before promptly carrying him into the kitchen. The serpent clearly needed to get some food into his system which was apparent by how weightless the demon still felt when the angel held him. Azirphale then placed Crowley down onto one of the chairs at the small dining table and willed a bowl of tomato soup into existence along with a few crackers for Crowley to nibble on if he felt up to it. But seeing how the demon frowned when he saw the meal it didn’t seem likely that he would do so.

"Not hungry." He simply said, when the bowl appeared on the table. 

"Dear, you need to eat." Aziraphale replied as he slid the bowl over to where the boy was seated next to him. Crowley pushed it away stubbornly. 

"No."

" _ Crowley. _ " The ethereal being said sternly before letting out a deep sigh. "If you don’t eat you won’t get your strength back. I know that you might not feel hungry right now but your corporeal form was severely damaged. I’ve done as much as I can to help you heal but if you don’t nourish your body there’s no way that any of that would matter in the long run. Understood?" He explained, pushing the bowl back in front of Crowley. The demon nodded hesitantly then took the spoon in his hand and shakily brought the utensil to his mouth before spilling some of it down the front of pajamas (clearly signifying that the accident had also weakened his fine motor skills).

"Sorry…" Crowley mumbled, a bit embarrassed by what just happened as his cheeks turned a deep red.

"Oh, it’s alright." Aziraphale cooed, wiping away the mess from his face with a handkerchief. "Do you need help?" He offered and the demon looked down nervously as he considered the blonde’s proposal. 

Eventually he handed over the spoon and the angel took it scooping up another spoonful of soup and giving it to his little one. Aziraphale couldn’t help but feel pleased when he spoon fed his demon, smiling affectionately when he saw the cute expressions Crowley made when he ate. And surprisingly he was able to convince the ginger to eat a significant amount of the meal, which was only about half of the soup and and a cracker - but it was much more than the angel had expected the demon to eat so he was happy nonetheless. 

Afterward he took the demon into the back room so he could change him out of his now wet diaper and into a new clean pair of button up fleece pajamas. Once that was finished he placed Crowley on the sofa and instructed the serpent to wait while he went back into the kitchen to prepare him a bottle (with warm milk and a little bit of honey). When he came back he also had a book in hand, earning Aziraphale a very confused look from the demon. 

"I don’t read, Angel." He reminded the other man, flicking his tongue in disapproval.

"I know." Aziraphale responded, sitting down next to his baby and placing him in his lap. "That’s why I’ll be reading to you. Besides, I think you will enjoy this story." 

"The Little Prince? What is it about?" Crowley asked curiously, despite the fact that he was opposed to the idea just a few seconds ago.

"You’ll see." The angel replied before giving the demon his bottle and using his free hand to turn the book’s pages before beginning to read. "Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called  _ True Stories from Nature _ …"

Crowley listened closely to Aziraphale’s soothing voice as he sucked on the teat of the bottle and soon became captivated by the story. After about ten minutes or so the demon must have fallen asleep again because Crowley had lost grip of the bottle and it had plopped down onto the angel’s lap, surprising the ethereal being in the process before he had noticed what had happened. He looked down at Crowley who somehow absentmindedly placed his thumb in his mouth again, the angel tisked in response then promptly took the appendage out of his mouth then replaced it with a (newly miracled) black and red pacifier. Crowley didn’t even notice as it bobbed up and down causing the angel to feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He kissed the demon’s hair, taking in his now babyish scent before carrying him upstairs again and placing him on the bed gently.

"Sleep well, my dear." He whispered, pulling the blanket up to his little one’s chin. Crowley still had a lot to work through before he would be back to his normal self. But, seeing him as he was now lying peacefully among all of his plush dolls and blankets, similarly to how he was just a few days ago although under much more dire circumstances. However in spite of everything the angel felt then, he was now completely confident that, with a bit of love and persistence, Crowley would be just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- i’m not sure if i’m completely ok with writing all of this pure tooth rotting fluff because now idk what to do with myself.  
\- on one hand, i’m satisfied because i finally let these boys be happy for more than two seconds.  
\- on the other hand, everything in the story was so intense then it felt like it deescalated so quickly and that just doesn’t seem realistic to me.  
\- although, maybe that’s just my messed up point of view because i love angst and drama as much as any psycho. but i also love the gratification you get from a happy ending.  
\- however i absolutely enjoyed writing this chapter because it probably contains some of the sweetest interactions i’ve written between crowley and zira. :,) which is something i love to do and will keep doing for this fic for a while longer until the story calls for more excitement.  
\- anyway, that’s my two cents. hope you have a good day/night and thanks for listening to my unadulterated opinion.


	36. Bonus Chapter (ﾉ･ｪ･)ﾉ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- hello guyz!! today i have been a bit short on time so i decided to compile a bunch of little!crowley and caregiver!aziraphale headcanons i have for fun (idk if this will apply to the story at all but if you like any of these then i can add it in to the fic)  
\- i promise i will go back to posting regular stuff soon. i just didn’t want to leave you guys with nothing while i get some real life junk sorted out.  
\- anyway hope you enjoy some of my random thoughts. also if you have any of your own headcanons i would love to hear them! :D

  * aziraphale has cared for other littles previous to crowley
    * when crowley finds out he is a bit (actually very) jealous and ask LOTS of questions
      * “who were they?”
      * “how long?”
      * “why did you care for them? and not me?”
      * ect. ect.
    * aziraphale answers his questions at first. but soon becomes a bit irritated and for a period of time he constantly had to reassure crowley that those past relationships won’t have any effect on their current one. and eventually the demon stopped asking.
    * what’s funny about this whole thing is that crowley has also had past relationships (not a caregiver/little scenario tho) so it was a bit hypocritical of him to be jealous. although on some level zira finds the fact the he was jealous to be a bit endearing.
  * on that same note, crowley hasn’t ever had a caregiver prior to aziraphale
    * the angel is quite saddened by this because of how long crowley had to hide in shame b/c of his classification
    * and constantly spoils crowley to make up for lost time
    * crowley is overwhelmed at first, but gets used to it after sometime
  * crowley deathly is afraid of cockroaches
    * aziraphale finds this out when one day he wakes up early to make himself coffee and crowley stays in the bedroom for hours
    * he assumes that crowley is still sleeping
    * but comes back to find him sitting in the corner of the bedroom, still dressed in his pajamas giving a cockroach the death stare
    * when he notices zira he looks at him with pleading eyes and mouths the words ‘help me’, completely horrified
    * then zira took care of the problem quickly and crowley got cuddles afterward
  * when they first start their new arrangement crowley has a bit of trouble when it comes to asking for what he wants
    * he sort of just leaves everything up to aziraphale to decide. because let’s be honest y’all crowley has been the one catering to zira’s desires for the past 6000 yrs
    * so he doesn’t know how to adjust to this new dynamic 
    * and at first if zira asked what he wanted he usually would reply with ‘whatever you’re ok with angel.’ or with a simple ‘idk’
    * he still has trouble with this even after aziraphale reminds him it’s ok to ask for what he wants (but does get better later down the line)
  * crowley enjoys cartoons
    * some of his favorites are:
      * looney toons
      * the grimm adventures of billy and mandy
      * animaniacs
      * teen tiatans
      * disney movies (preferably the ones released between 1930s-70s. and although he doesn’t admit it he really loves winnie the pooh and fantasia)
      * the flinstones
      * and batman the animated series
    * when he’s feeling big he also watches more adult shows like, archer and bojack horseman
    * he highly dislikes family guy
  * aziraphale likes documentaries
    * crowley is annoyed at first and is irritated about sitting through something so _b o r i n g_
    * but eventually they both agree they like nature/science stuff
    * so they watch those together occasionally
    * recently they’ve been watching the _Cosmos _docu series with Carl Sagan and both think it’s very interesting


	37. Chapter 37

Crowley recovered rather quickly. Coming back to his old self once another two days had passed, which were mostly filled with stories, cuddles, fun games, and sleeping. There really wasn’t much else to do since the angel had decided that he wouldn’t open the shop on Crowley’s little days from now on so he could keep a closer eye on him (and hopefully avoid any more mishaps caused by emotional driving) and before he knew it they both were back to their usual day to day life. 

The demon was particularly excited about his improvement, now that he was well enough to go to Opal’s party though he didn’t show it outwardly because he insisted on not labeling her with the term friend and rather as an ‘associate-that-entertained-him-considerably’. Aziraphale was not convinced by this but paid no mind to Crowley’s silly excuses saying that if the girl wasn’t his friend then he wouldn’t have accepted her invitation, to which the demon responded with, “It was the polite thing to do Angel. She had a broken arm. Was I supposed to say no?”

Aziraphale just shrugged in reply with a smug expression on his face, causing Crowley to feel more frustrated but not enough to make him angry. Besides, he could never be angry with Aziraphale especially since he had done so much for him already. 

***

On the day of the celebration the demon got up particularly early, even earlier than Aziraphale, to cook breakfast. Which definitely was a surprise because Crowley didn’t sleep until his usual time of twelve ‘o clock noon but instead woke up around 7:30. But the serpent had his reasons:

  1. He thought it was best that Aziraphale didn’t set the kitchen on fire today.
  2. He preferred not to eat any of the monstrosities that the principality would try to whip up this morning, if he didn’t do what was previously aforementioned, because for some reason his beloved angel didn’t understand (or pretended not to understand) the fact the he was **_not _**allowed in the kitchen. Concluding that it was best that Aziraphale just stuck to making coffee and tea or miracling food into existence, at least for now, until he had the time to teach the ethereal being better cooking habits.
  3. And most importantly he didn’t want to give himself an excuse to be late. Especially since this was his first party.

Well... it wasn’t actually his first party. He had gone to attend many, many ceremonies and things of that nature during his long life time but those didn’t count because he either came unsolicited or was just desired to come due to mutual gain (more of a business transaction really). However, this was the first time he was invited somewhere because someone enjoyed his company and it made him feel like he had to try his best to be a good guest. This event was also a good opportunity for him to make up for the sour attitude he displayed during his last interaction with his friend/associate-that-entertained-him-considerably, even to the point of deciding that he would actually eat some of her less than appetizing food.

After being woken up to the sound of various pots and pans bustling around as well as the smell of something very sugary Aziraphale had curiously wandered into the kitchen to find Crowley completely concentrated on the task of decorating some pastries in a syrupy white glaze, he didn’t even notice that the angel had entered the room.

_ “Now it’s my chance!” _ The angel thought as he crept behind the occult being and reached over to steal a taste of the yummy treat before swiping his pinky over one of the delicacies.

“Hey! That’sss our breakfast!” The demon hissed in response, as he watched his beautiful creation be tarnished by undeserving hands. (Metaphorically, of course. As far as Crowley was concerned his angel deserves a lot more than some measly baked goods.) Aziraphale just looked back at the demon innocently as he licked the evidence from his fingers, like the bastard he was, before planting a kiss onto the occult being’s cheek.

“Quality assurance, my dear.” He excused, Crowley rolled his eyes.

“No, you’re a glutton. Now hurry up and sit down before I decide to eat it all myself.” 

“Oh alright.” The angel huffed disappointedly, sitting down at the dining table as he waited for the serpent to finish. 

Today’s morning meal (or dessert) was cinnamon buns glazed in a creamy white icing. Aziraphale smiled contentedly as he ate and Crowley watched with his plate still untouched. Not because he wasn’t in the mood to eat but it was always much more satisfying to see the blissful expressions the angel made as he consumed his food. Eventually he did eat though when the ethereal being’s facial expressions changed from ones of bliss to ones of worry since he still was highly concerned about Crowley’s wellbeing. 

Then the demon rushed back to the bedroom to get ready as he dragged the angel along behind him and after a refreshing bath they both got dressed - Aziraphale in his usual apparel and Crowley wearing an oversized red and black striped sweater (since it was beginning to get cooler now), a pair of black pants, and fur lined boots. The angel also decided that he should braid the demons hair because it now was about shoulder length and it was best if it didn’t get in his face. Once the angel was finished with that they made their way downstairs and Crowley grabbed a box wrapped in colorful paper and they headed out the door at approximately 9:00 am. 

Everything was going exactly to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- i love to write aziraphale being a bit mischievous.  
\- and yea!!! more outings! (i didn’t forget about you wondercurls1917)


	38. Chapter 38

The M25 could be viewed in two very distinct ways.

1\. A stroke of pure evil genius that anyone has ever concocted since the invention of taxes. (However taxes still held the number one spot as far as evil inventions go, with the M25 coming in at a close second, since the act of doing taxes involves lots of maths. Which is something that couldn’t ever be accredited to a demon like Crowley who honestly wasn’t very good at that sort of thing and disliked doing tedious calculations of all the expenses you’ve made annually as much as the average person.)

  
or… 

2\. The most remarkable display of self sabotage that has ever existed (or will exist) in all of history.

It was just the demon’s luck that today, the one day that he had actually planned to make it somewhere on time, he would be taking public transport (because Aziraphale wasn’t very keen on him using the Bentley) and someone very  _ conveniently  _ decided that it was the perfect day to perform road work on his greatest achievement, which also simultaneously acted as the bane of the serpent’s existence. And after hours of waiting (and a bit of whining from Crowley) they finally made it to their destination, albeit a half hour late. The party was held at a huge warehouse with a large sign posted on the front which read  _ Oscar and Lewis  _ \- it was an entertainment center for people of all ages to have some ‘good family fun!’ (at least that’s what the advertisements said). The center was split up into different sections for each person’s interest - an arcade, a soft play area equipped with a large ball pit and trampolines, mini games, and an eating area for Caregivers or parents to occupy.

As soon as they entered the establishment Crowley and Aziraphale where met with the sounds of loud screaming, obnoxious music, and laughter. A stark contrast to the quiet bookshop they have gotten used to residing in over the past two hundred years or so. Aziraphale seemed especially bothered by this and the demon watched as he hastily made his way around crowds of people to reach the far more calmer eating area. When they finally made it to their table they were met with a rather interesting sight.

Opal playing along with two other Littles, one boy - who wore a short sleeved button up top and shorts - and a girl - dressed in a green frog sweater and a pair of loose jeans rolled up at the ankles. The girl had an almost doll like appearance, with very big hazel eyes (not unnatural but enough to be more than normal) and wavy brown hair. While the boy was very tall in stature, a few inches taller than Crowley, with dark skin and his hair done in numerous elaborate braids.

The group’s movements were very similar to Siamese cats and they all turned their heads in unison once they caught sight of the angel and the demon. After greeting the party’s hostesses and placing the gift onto the table, Crowley was caught off guard by Opal when she gave his small frame a tight squeeze, surprising the serpent because she had almost knocked the air out of him and he wasn’t used to receiving physical affection from anyone besides Aziraphale. She was wearing a cast on her arm now which was already sporting a few signatures, Crowley assumed they were from her companions.

“Is this your friend?” The boy asked, as he followed behind their leader. The girl stayed behind observing the new face with a level of caution, she seemed to be the more practical one of the group. “Why do have those glasses?” He questioned again, prodding at his face and beginning to slide the dark colored specs down his nose. Crowley was quick to respond though and stepped away before he was able to cause a real scene. He hissed at the rascal, revealing a set of sharp fangs in hopes that the boy would think twice before messing with him again. However he was unphased by the redhead’s opposition to having his personal space invaded within five minutes of arriving. Instead he just looked back to Opal with a creepy smile plastered on his face. “We like this one. He has cool teeth.” 

_ “We? Who the hell was we?” _ Crowley thought, instantly running back to Aziraphale’s side, while the angel held his little one close. He could deal with Opal’s strange behaviour but her friends seemed to be just as (or maybe even more) peculiar as her.

“How’d you do that?” The other girl finally spoke, her eyes now wide with curiosity. She was about to do her own prodding, but luckily Eva was there to save the day.

“Duke! Aria!” The woman spoke sternly, “You two stop it right now before you give the poor guy a heart attack. Can’t you see that you are making him uncomfortable?”

“Sorry.” They both said in unison. 

“Don’t apologize to me.” She tisked, “Crowley is the one that deserves an apology. Now say sorry before I have to tell your Caregivers what happened here today.”

“Please don’t be mad.” The girl said, giving Crowley a comforting smile. “We were just trying to have fun with you.”

“Yeah, it’s alright. I won’t bug you anymore.” The boy reassured, the serpent didn’t exactly trust him though and instead glared at him behind his glasses. “I promise! We were actually about to go play at the arcade, you can come if you like.” He then began to whisper excitedly, “Aria knows how to hack the machines so we can get as many tickets as we want.”

“Hack it?” The demon was the loud one now.

“Shhh!!! You’ll blow our cover!” Aria replied very seriously before encouraging others to follow her. Crowley went along with them since he wasn’t concerned about the rather boring conversation that Aziraphale and Eva were having and was now suddenly very interested to find out how someone could hack an arcade game.

But they were stopped.

“Opal!” Eva called back to her Little.

“Yeah…” She replied, her voice laced with frustration.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“The arcade.”

“Now? We just ordered pizza.”

“Yup!” Opal was beginning to walk away again.

“Well, I want you all back here in twenty minutes so you can all have something to eat.”

“Twenty minutes?! That’s hardly enough time.”

“Enough time to do what? You guys better not be planning something reckless again because this is the last option we have as far as parties go. Remember last time? You all got banned from the mini golf course.”

“We aren’t doing anything Ms.Eva.” Aria spoke out, seeing how Opal wasn’t a very good liar, she smiled innocently before pushing the other girl away. “So can we please? Opal really wanted to play with us and besides it  _ is _ her birthday.”

“Fine.” Eva said, not quite convinced but she didn’t want to rob Opal of a good birthday experience. “I’ll let you go. But I still expect you back on time, no excuses, or you’ll all be spending the rest of today with me and Mr.Fell, understood?”

“Okay. Thanks!” Aria replied cheerfully and they all ran back in the other direction so Eva wouldn’t have the chance to say no again. Then Aria whispered to Opal with a menacing smile on her face. “I’ve got a plan so don’t worry about time. This is going to be fun!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- i shall be giving out all of those sid from toy story vibes  
\- but it’s ok these are good kiddos (most of the time at least)  
\- btw, sorry for the less frequent updates.


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DIDN’T FORGET ABOUT Y’ALL!!!

The person who was given first pick was the birthday girl, who ultimately decided that it was best that they played the loudest and most obnoxious game in the arcade - Dance Dance Revolution. Apparent by the confused glimpses she got from Crowley and Duke and one very annoyed look from Aria, the one who was in charge of pulling together the whole operation. Aria sighed before speaking apathetically to her friend, though Opal was too excited to really pay attention to what she was trying to say and instead she ran straight to the controls already getting ready to start the first level.

“You don’t want to play something else?” She asked, trying her best to figure out the momentous task that she was just got herself into. She probably shouldn’t have hyped her friend up so much considering that Aria actually did have quite a time constraint and now there was also the issue of trying to avoid being the center of attention so she could have enough time to manipulate the game’s code. But that was especially challenging with Opal - the girl always to draw some type of attention with her rambunctious demeanor.

“Nope! Why do you ask?” Opal looked back at her with a clueless expression. She clearly didn’t realize the position that she put her friend in.

“You could’ve picked any  _ other _ game. Whack-A-Mole, a racing game, Pac-Man. One would usually think that hacking a game would call for some level of subtlety. But you picked this one because of course you did.”

“Well you said-”

“I know what I said.” The other girl responded apathetically, already sneaking her way behind the huge game console. “Just make sure no one comes by here while I do this, alright?”

“Got it!” Opal said cheerfully, “Thanks Aria! Love ya lots!”

“Yeah, whatever, the feeling is mutual. Don’t try to play to my emotions. Also, could you keep an eye on those two?” She paused and looked over to the demon, who was now currently speaking to Duke about how easy murder was in the 1930’s. The other one was highly interested and responded with a story about how he liked to collect exotic pets before revealing a little hedgehog named Truffles that magically appeared in the boy’s hands. (Not real magic, Crowley knew what real magic was. This was just a mediocre imitation.) “I think your friend’s giving Duke too many ideas.”

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before they were able to play the game - with no thanks to the Opal and Duke who spent the duration of their waiting time trying to steal toys out of a nearby claw machine (rather unsuccessfully). The only reason why they were able to get away with anything was due to the fact that the arcade’s staff was comprised of a bunch of bored teenagers who spent most of their time hiding in the back of the prize counter to avoid doing any real work and they really couldn’t care less about a group of Littles who were about to swindle the  _ Oscar and Lewis _ franchise by being rewarded with an undeserving amount of tickets. 

Crowley didn’t participate with the others when they played Dance Dance Revolution, deciding that it was best that he didn’t give anyone the chance to view him jerking awkwardly when he tried to move in time with the beat, thank you very much. So he convinced Aria to hack a game of Dig Dug which earned the group about a thousand tickets and when they were done they were able to earn 5,237 tickets in total before they all rushed out of the arcade laughing and smiling with bags full of toys from the prize counter. Crowley was able to get himself a new pair of kaleidoscope novelty sunglasses, a new duck plush, silly putty, and a stick of shock gum. For the first time in a while, Crowley thought that he was actually having a fun time as they walked back to their table just in time to eat the pizza they ordered.

Things seemed to really be looking up for the demon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- this chapter is pretty meh in my opinion. i’ve been dealing with writers block as of late and no matter how much i’ve edited this chapter it hasn’t turned out the way i wanted it to.   
\- i’ve also been busy with work. so that may also be a contributing factor to this chapter’s overall meh-ness.  
\- anyway, i want to apologize in advance because i won’t be posting daily anymore and my post will have to be cut down to about 1-2 times a week. :,(


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- i would like to start this chapter off with a quick shout out to GlitterSkullFairy who came up with the prompt for this chapter. (although i did take some creative liberties to further progress the plot. but no major changes to their original idea!!!)  
\- and if you guys want to leave any prompts be sure to leave them in the comments and i will try my best to include them into the story. you will also get a bonus shout out as well. ;D  
\- just keep in mind that i can’t use every prompt and i’m sorry if that ends up being the case. :,)

After devouring a whole pizza, - which the demon actually partook in and enjoyed, instead of wasting a perfectly good meal ( _ cough, cough…  _ justice will be had for the PB&J sandwich!!!) - a very botched rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’, cake, and opening presents the group of Littles went back to playing, with their Caregivers accompanying them this time because good things surely didn’t last since one thing that Crowley’s new friends/associates-that-entertained-him-considerably had forgotten about were security cameras which resulted in a stern talking to from the establishment’s manager. They probably would’ve gotten in more trouble, though the manager was an old man who seemed to be very close to retirement. It was apparent that he wasn’t going to waste his energy over a minor offense and was actually somewhat impressed by the stunt the group pulled - however, he didn’t show it outwardly.

The next activity for the day was a trip to the soft play area, that contained a maze - filled with various colorful obstacles and bright neon lights - and a ball pit. Opal ran straight for it and the others followed making a big splash into the pool of multicolored orbs. Aziraphale was especially pleased to find that his little demon was having a good time and he smiled to himself contentedly when Crowley walked around the place laughing and prancing around giddily. Next the group explored the maze while deciding to play a game of tag to make the time go by faster and eventually the other two Caregivers were dragged into the fun themselves as they wandered around the play area, when Crowley snuck up behind the angel, tapped him on the shoulder, and claimed that he was ‘it’. Whatever that meant. Aziraphale wasn’t quite sure how to play tag since no one had bothered to explain the rules to him and he hadn’t cared enough to figure it out. So he kind of stood there with a puzzled look on his face as the four Littles stared at him with dissatisfaction.

“You’re it, Angel.” Crowley repeated, tapping him again before his action being reciprocated with the same puzzled expression.

“‘It’? Of what?” The principality asked, Aria let out a frustrated groan. 

“You’re it, of the game. I tagged you so you have to chase us.”

“Oh…” Aziraphale paused. “Then what?”

‘Then you tag someone,” Opal butted in, already growing impatient. “If you don’t want to play, then I can be it.”

“No, that’s fine, my dear. I’ll be  _ it _ , if that’s what you want?” The words rolled off of the angel’s tongue strangely.

“I don’t care.” She shrugged, “Just chase someone.”

So that’s what he did. Not realizing that the Littles were actually much more agile than he had originally anticipated and they all dispersed in different directions without giving Aziraphale the chance to catch up. The only one who had bothered staying close by was Crowley, knowing that Aziraphale wasn’t the fastest runner. The serpent travelled through the maze with ease - probably a side effect of being a snake, the blonde deduced, since they seemed to be very nimble creatures - but he stayed at a pace so Aziraphle could still trail behind him at a comfortable distance without making the game too easy for the angel.

“C’mon Angel!” The demon teased playfully, with a smirk plastered on his face.

“Wait…” The other man huffed in response, though Crowley was too preoccupied to listen and made a few wrong turns without actually paying attention to where he was going. He was then met with the feeling of someone pushing him into one of the maze’s walls forcefully before falling to the floor with a hard thud. The sight he was met with was a pair of men wearing masks - one owl and a fox - accompanied by a small woman with piercing gray eyes and a briefcase.

“Woah! You really should watch where you’re going buddy.” The fox spoke mockingly.

Then the owl kicked Crowley directly in the center of his back. The demon winced in pain.

“Are you sure this the one you wanted, doc?” The owl asked, he sounded like he was American. 

“Yeah. I don’t know…” The fox criticized. “He’s just a kid. Doesn’t seem like he’s as dangerous as you’ve been telling us.”

“Just hold him down, alright.” The doctor scolded, the other two complied to her demands. “You shouldn’t forget that besides the boy, this one is a major threat to national security.” She then kneeled down in front of the serpent. Crowley trashed and hissed but the woman slapped him squarely in the face. He stopped. “Good boy. You’re lack of cooperation was quite annoying. But that can only be expected from the infamous Demon Crowley.”

The occult being gave her a confused look. 

“Yes. I know your name.” She smiled coldly, taking off his dark glasses and gazing curiously at the golden pools that were his eyes. “And you are quite the magnificent creature, aren’t you? It’s a pity that I couldn’t have more fun. But I need some more information before I can really start doing anything useful with you.”

“Aziraphale!” Crowley cried out, in a panic. She laughed.

“He can’t hear you, honey. A cloaking spell was casted as soon as you entered this facility. But don’t worry we won’t hurt him.” She paused lying her briefcase in front of her on the floor. It was filled with several tools and syringes and she poked his forearm with a needle. “At least not yet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> surprises, surprises…


	41. Chapter 41

Eva came running straight to Aziraphale breathing heavily and with a look of pure terror on her face.

“Hurry!” She gasped out, clearly frightened. “Some men came. They took the…” The woman was too out of breath to finish what she was saying. But the angel knew exactly what she meant. 

“Is Crowley with them?” He asked immediately without thinking. Eva nodded. He had been searching for Crowley for sometime now and was beginning to worry, concerned that the boy may have gotten lost or hurt himself. “Please.” He begged, “Take me to them.”

“Right! This way, hurry!” Aziraphale followed closely behind the woman before she lead him to the center of the maze. There he saw Duke, Aria, and Opal being held back by three henchman wearing animal masks. But there was no Crowley. Something wasn’t right.

But the angel was too distracted by the three of them crying helplessly and he ran immediately to them, telling Eva to call for help before attempting to take on the three thugs. He didn’t get far though, interrupted by a sudden feeling of something being lodged into the back of his neck. At first he cried out in pain at the new stinging sensation that followed the initial blow as he watched the room began to spin before his eyes and he crashed onto the floor.

The henchman let go of the three Littles, who were now much more relaxed then they were previously as they joked with the three men and said goodbye because they had other things to attend to at the moment.

“Duke! Aria!” Eva called, holding a syringe in her right hand and pointing down to the blonde heap on the floor in front of her. “Take him to Dr. Mercer’s study and make sure to be very careful with the body. You know how she feels about keeping her specimens in prime condition.”

“Yes, ma’am.” They both replied in unison, the angel’s body was levitating into midair before being taken away to a separate place.

“Opal, you did an amazing job, sweetheart.” The woman praised, patting the girl on the head and placing the syringe in the girls palm. “I can tell that you are getting better at that cloaking spell I taught you. Now, I need you to take this back to dispensary for sanitation. Once you are finished with that, I would like you to await further instructions from your supervisor, alright?”

“Wait… you’re not coming with us? You said-”

“I know.” Eva interrupted, “But, I have more duties to attend to here, capturing the angel and the demon was only the first part of our mission, remember the boy is also a threat to us as well and if his magic isn’t contained we’ll all be doomed. You understand that, right?”

“I understand… it’s just…”

“It won’t be like last time. I promise.”

“Are you sure? I just want you to be more careful.”

“Yes, I will. Besides it’s only a simple summoning then I’ll meet you back at the facility. It shouldn’t be more than three days.” She replied, grabbing Opal’s broken arm and willing away the cast that encapsulated the extent of her forearm. “You should actually worry more about yourself. You shouldn’t go around having accidents like this anymore, okay?” She kissed the injured area and the girl’s arm was back to normal working condition.

“Ms. Eva.” One of the henchman called, pulling the two from their tender moment. “You are required to meet your men within ten minutes.” 

“Affirmative. I’ll be there right away.” Eva replied before turning back to the girl and instructing her to defuse the cloaking spell and the entertainment center morphed back to its original state - an old abandoned warehouse. No games. No fun. Just plain grey walls. The woman then walked away as the girl did this. Opal didn’t notice her Caregiver had left until she was already halfway across the large room.

“Miss you already!” Opal called out to Eva, but she didn’t hear. She never did.


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m not gonna lie, this is probably one of my favorite chapters so far. for three distinct reasons - 1) the doctor and azi are both crazy mother fuckers. 2) PLOT DEVELOPMENT!!! (sort of...) 3) i also love to write a good villain. uwu

Aziraphale sat hunched over on a chair in an unfamiliar room in an unknown place. The first thing he noticed was a mahogany desk neatly organized with three separate files all placed into a row, in front of the files lied a single knife (odd), and behind the desk there was a woman. She looked down at him with dead silvery colored eyes before smiling down at the principality, although there was no emotion behind her attempts at hospitality and she seemed much too calm. Despite plainly giving her captive a clear advantage and the angel took his chance at an escape without a thought, bringing the tip of the blade directly to her throat. The woman didn’t even flinch.

“Tell me where he is.” The angel demanded, returning the woman’s icy stare with a burning rage growing within the depths of his being. Her smile grew wider.

“Greetings, Angel Aziraphale.” She spoke cordially, ignoring his previous statement. “I am Doctor Jeules Mercer, it is nice to finally be acquainted with you.”

“Answer me.” He pressed the blade deeper into the woman’s skin and drew a bit of blood in the process. The woman’s lack of concern for her own mortality was starting to annoy the ethereal being.

“Or you will kill me? Go ahead, I gave you your chance. It was only fair.” She gestured to the knife tapping it lightly with her finger. “But let me warn you, there are about twenty of my men standing just beyond that door.” The woman looked past him and Azirapahle followed her gaze spotting the entrance to the room. 

“And why should I believe you?” Aziraphale questioned, his eyes narrowing in distrust.

“All of them have orders to shoot you if you decide to take my life, they will come in here fully armed as soon as you do. There is twenty-four hour surveillance of every single room in this facility and I highly doubt you will get very far with a small piece of cutlery. Besides, even if you do get past them you have no idea where to go. I’m the only chance you’ve got.”

“Silence.”

“No. You listen to me, I and you both know that killing me would be a waste of your time, especially if you want to see your little boyfriend again. So why don’t you do us both a favor and sit down?” There was a heavy moment of silence between the angel and the doctor but eventually the blonde agreed to her proposition. “I’ll be taking that knife from you as well.” The woman extended her hand out and the weapon was planted into her palm, albeit very begrudgingly before it was placed to the side, still within Aziraphale’s reach. “I’ll remember that.” She added, “Once you’ve held my life in your hands and you let me go. Now, let’s hope you made the right decision.” She smiled again. “You know, I’ve had many others come here before you and very few actually take the bait. You are the first fighter I’ve seen in quite awhile. I like that about you, it’s not exactly something I would expect from a being of that’s supposed to represent all things good and holy. But I guess I shouldn’t assume, considering the circumstances.”

“I have no time for pleasantries doctor.” The angel interrupted. “Why am I here?”


	43. Chapter 43

“Wrong question.” The woman corrected. “What you should be asking is what ‘here’ is. So let me finish my introduction since I was so rudely interrupted… As you already know, I am Doctor Jeules Mercer and I am the head of the corporation known as Adina.”

“Adina? What is that? Some type of government funded program?”

“No, quite the contrary actually. But we have collaborated with several different major administrations in the past, the more so as of late. You see, Mr. Fell we are a collective that is dedicated to repurposing, containing, and eradicating supernatural threats, such as yourself, to insure the safety of humankind.”

“I’m sorry but I believe you have the wrong person.” The angel testified, shooting a confused expression to the woman across from him. “All of my work has been dedicated to bringing joy and blessings to humanity. In case you’ve forgotten, I am an angel. I am not a threat to anyone.”

“Says the one who was holding a knife to my throat mere moments ago.” The doctor retorted before shooting a cold self satisfied look in the other’s direction. “That is certainly not what I’ve been seeing and it is quite contrary to what your files say, especially after the incident at the Tadfield Airbase.”

“The airbase? Nothing happened there.”

“Oh, so you don’t remember?”

“Remember what?” The blonde questioned, furrowing his brows slightly as the woman grabbed one of the three folders that were placed neatly on the desk with his name printed on the tab. She then opened the folder before reading aloud.

“Clement Darion, Age: 27, Profession: Air Force Non-Commissioned Officer/Staff Sergeant (E-5), Designation: Baseline...” She paused. “Ringing any bells?”

“The soldier.” Aziraphale replied, very solemnly now as the memories came back to his mind.

“Ah. So you do remember making him vanish into thin air. Well, let me tell you what happened after that whole stunt. Our dear friend, Mr. Darion was transported to a rural territory in North Korea wearing an American uniform and possessing a gun, not a good combination, and directly afterward he was sent off to one of their most heavily secured prison camps with a life sentence. May I also note that when we found him, he was completely emaciated and had suffered severe trauma to his spine, legs, and arms from frequent beatings.”

“I-I didn’t realize. I-”

“Of course, you didn’t.” She spat back, taking several photographs and sliding them across the table. Aziraphale’s face turned pale. “Did you know that he had a husband as well? And two twin daughters who were about to start their first day of kindergarten.” She then took more pictures from the file, showing a family photo that contained the two men and a pair of adorable little girls smiling and laughing. “Luckily, Mr. Darion is scheduled to return home to his children this Wednesday but he will surely not be the same father that they remember before the incident and he will definitely have to undergo years of further treatment for symptoms of PTSD, that he was already expressing within the first couple of days after he began his recovery. It’s hard to believe that your friend here was only missing for less than thirty days. Imagine if he was there longer. For sixty days? Ninety days? A year? Those girls might’ve not had a dad to welcome home.” 

Then there was another brief moment of silence and Aziraphale could only shake his head in disbelief as tears began to brim at the corners of his eyes.

“Ironically, this is one of the more mild cases that we have on file and not nearly as bad as other things that your kind and the boy has done.”

“Adam? He is just a child, he hasn’t done anything. If anything you should be thanking him, the boy is a hero for stopping Armegedon.” Aziraphale interrupted and angering the doctor.

“Millions! Possibly billions of people end up falling victim to the actions of supernatural entities - angels, demons, witches, and others with magical capabilities who just use the Earth as their playground because they think they are gods among men.” 

“Why are you showing me this?” The principality choked out, he was crying sincerely now.

“Because what you fail to realize is that there are no heroes. Heroes are only found in stories Mr. Fell and this is real life. In real life there are consequences for your actions, even when you make mistakes, and someone always has to pay the price, no matter how noble your intentions are.”


	44. Bonus Chapter ʕ￫ᴥ￩ʔ - Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- i thought that it’s about time i do another one of these since this story has been pretty angsty...to say the least…  
\- (i’ve honestly been needing a break from it myself. lol.)  
\- i also am having some trouble planning out the next few chapters so i’ll need some time to outline the next few plot points. (〃´∀｀)  
\- this would be an awesome time to suggest any prompts if you have any b/c i don’t have any s u p e r important events planned for the next 3-4 (possibly 5-6) chapters  
\- so yea. that’s it as far as announcements go. enjoy some cute headcanons! <3

  * crowley is unnaturally flexible.
    * of course, this is one of the many side effects of being a snake
    * zira first found this out during the 14th century. the time when the demon would do about anything to squelch his immense boredom
    * in his quest to do so. crowley had picked up the habit of cracking his knuckles. which soon progressed to him cracking every single joint in his corporation whenever he had the chance to do so and he still does it now, from time to time.
    * it’s very **_u n s e t t l i n g ._**
  * zira is a huge lizzo fan
    * one day when they where spending time with adam and the them. pepper had played some of lizzo’s songs on her playlist.
    * long story, short. azi fell in love.
    * and when he’s working you will occasionally hear him humming ‘truth hurts’ or ‘good as hell’
    * crowley thought it was odd at first b/c azi is usually about a half a century behind when it came to music (and other popular trends). but crowley didn’t have the heart to stop his angel, since he seemed so happy.
    * eventually crowley bought azi tickets to one of her concerts and they had a good time together.
  * azi and crowley have some fun rituals they like to do together when our favorite serpent is feeling especially little.
    * midnight milk and oreo cookies!
      * zira eat’s the cookie before the cream
        * it bothers crowley a l o t
      * crowley eats the whole cookie at once
        * azi thinks the demon’s method is a crime against humanity
    * pancakes every sunday morning
      * this is mostly so azi can master the art of cooking
      * it has been going well (considering the standards are very low)
        * there have been no kitchen fires after the first three weeks
        * but zira still hasn’t made anything edible. tho, he’s making progress - albeit at a snail's pace. 
    * blanket forts 
      * this is crowley’s fav thing to do b/c a blanket fort is the ideal nap spot
    * stories
      * rn they are reading treasure island by louis stevenson together
    * movie nights 
      * they watch a lot of winnie the pooh and fantasia
  * aziraphale sings to crowley's plants
    * they are even more beautiful as a result
    * crowley complains but doesn’t stop zira because he loves to hear his wonderfully soothing voice
    * and it’s the only time he gets to hear it in it’s complete splendor because zira doesn’t realize that someone is actually listening
    * the poor angel is so shy about his voice


	45. Chapter 45

Crowley woke up on a bed in what looked like a hospital room, as far as he could tell in his groggy state - a side effect of just waking up from a drug induced slumber. He felt horrible (to say the least) and whatever that weird, scary, doctor lady had given him definitely wasn’t good in the slightest, he thought to himself before being met with another unwanted surprise as two very familiar figures walked into the room. It was the fox and the owl. Out of fear the demon immediately ran off into the farthest corner of the room and he curled up against the wall in a shaking heap.

“Ey, kid.” The owl said, walking over to the serpent while carrying a black duffle bag in his left hand and a gun in his right, the fox had a gun as well.

Crowley didn’t respond and instead pulled his knees closer to his chest and he felt a bit of liquid leak through his tights and onto the white tiled floor. He was shaking like a leaf. 

“Hey, we’re talking to you.” The fox butted in, leaning forward and snapping his fingers rudely in front of Crowley’s face. Which ended up being a huge mistake when a pair of long sharp fangs sunk into the man’s palm before it was reflexively pulled away. “Fucking hell!” The man yelled nursing his bloody hand against his chest, the owl chuckled to himself. “What’s so funny asshole! Can’t you see I’m hurt?”

“Well you didn’t have to be so mean.” The other responded, “The kid’s clearly scared.”

“So what? You’re really going to defend him? I didn’t even do anything that bad. Let me just remind you that I’m the one with the bloody hand.”

“Then you should go to the infirmary Mikey. I’m not going to have another argument with you just because you don’t know how to handle yourself. If you didn’t wanna get bit then you should’ve followed the procedure. God, why do you always do the stupidest shit?”

“Yeah, whatever. Fuck off, Terry.” The man then walked out of the door, you could hear some incoherent angry mumbling as he got further away, slamming the door behind himself as he exited the room. Terry tisked before turning back to the trembling little demon - another problem that he had to deal with on his own… again.

  
_ “Thanks a lot Mikey.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- i know this chapter is pretty short. but there will be more stuff soon!   
\- i promise, these next 5-6 chapters are going to lead up to something big ;P


	46. Chapter 46

The Little curled up on the floor trembling didn't look very much like a demon, Terry thought to himself. He had seen much weirder shit while doing this gig - witches, poltergeist, cursed objects… (the list could go on) and his was far from what he had anticipated. What he actually expected were hooves, horns maybe? But the only distinctively supernatural attribute he could find on the boy were a pair of amber colored eyes with slit irises (and the traces of Mikey’s blood that now coated the corners of Crowley’s mouth). Which made the demon look kind of like a cat, or a snake thing. He was a snake, right? That's what he overheard the doctor saying anyway.

"Crawly? Crowley? That’s your name, right?” He asked, before kneeling down to the occult being’s level and reaching inside of the bag. Crowley began to panic again, scooting backwards. “Hey, hey, shhh, it’s alright. I’m not here to to do anything to you, ‘kay? I just was just getting some new clothes for you. See, look.” The man insisted, taking a plain white t-shirt and a pair of sweats out of the duffle bag. “The boss wanted us to get you ready... well  _ me  _ mostly…” He explained, placing an emphasis on ‘me’. “Mikey is just damage control, though he’s not very good at his job.” 

Crowley chuckled at the last statement, making the other feel a bit better about what he was about to do. 

“Sorry, I haven’t taken care of anyone since Mikey was little, so I’m a bit rusty when it comes to this stuff.” Terry said, attempting to make conversation. “You remind me of him, y’know? Well, before I knew he would grow up to be a fucking pain in my ass half of the time.” He joked again, gaining another laugh from Crowley. “But, he’s a good kid, just messed up in the head. So don’t take what he does personally. He’s just trying to get attention most of the time.” There was another pause as he gathered more supplies from the bag - revealing various creams and powders, a few nappies, a bottle of water, a bowl, and a box of graham crackers. (Terry wasn’t actually sure if demons ate, but he figured it was worth a try.) “I… uh, didn’t know what you’d need so I figured I’d bring a little bit of everything.” He said before his attention then went to the puddle that his captive was currently sitting in. He had obviously wet through his diaper. “I can change you if you want.”

His suggestion was answered with vehement headshaking as a deep red flushed the ginger’s face. There was no way that anyone besides Aziraphale was going to be allowed to do anything like  _ that _ to him and he surely wasn’t going to entrust some evil(ish???) henchman to perform such an intimate task. So in response he instantly miracled away the liquid. (A temporary solution to an ongoing issue that Crowley had dealt with in this manner repeatedly throughout his long existence.)

“Alright. That works too.” The man responded nonchalantly, putting the nappies and diapering supplies back into the bag. He then took the bowl and poured some cracker’s inside before taking off the mask. Crowley observed the other’s face closely, interested to find that it was plastered with a long scar over his right eye, before looking away when the other caught him staring. But, Terry paid no mind to it and took some crackers for himself before sliding the bowl over to Crowley. “Hungry?”

Crowley sneered.

“Fine, suit yourself.” The man teased, taking the bowl back and grabbing some more, in hopes that the demon would actually take some since the poor thing looked so skinny. Thankfully his plan worked and he was happy when Crowley nibbled on the treat along with drinking half of the water provided.

Afterward, Terry took the t-shirt and sweatpants and asked if he could dress the boy and this proposition was answered with less reluctance than his first suggestion about changing the demon. He then wiped the blood off Crowley's face and changed the other’s clothes, along with taking out the braids in the demon’s hair, it wasn’t very easy though with the way the boy was still trembling. No shivering. He couldn’t be that scared still? Or was it something else? It was, Terry figured, he was cold. Immediately he walked over to the bed, grabbing the one thin blanket that was placed there and draping it around the other’s shoulders, in an attempt to grant Crowley a bit of relief however it didn’t seem to be working.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- spooky times calls for another spooky update!!! oooo! (lol)  
\- happy halloween guys.  
\- can you believe that it's almost over 2 months since i started writing this junk??  
\- thanks so much for all of your wonderful kind words and i'm so glad that you are all enjoying the story.  
\- this was originally only going to be about ten chapters (believe it or not) and i didn't expect it to be this long.  
\- but that's how most things like this start i guess… ╮(′～‵〞)╭


	47. Chapter 47

The doctor was a very patient woman. Sure time wasn’t something that she had to spare but she knew when it was best to leave someone alone. This was one of those times.

Apparently, the angel got quite emotional over the thing she had said about heros and consequences or whatever… and now he was just ugly crying (very dramatically, if she may add) in her office. 

_ “Not especially angelic.” _ The doctor thought to herself as she let him continue his teary display. She never really knew what to do with people in situations like this but leaving them alone usually seemed to have some type of positive outcome and was beneficial to both herself and others involved, for two distinct reasons:

a) The one who was in emotional duress had the opportunity to gain a level of reprieve without having to be interrupted by an outside disturbance.

b) She wouldn’t have to deal with their incessant blubbering over things that really weren’t worth crying over. 

Crying never fixed the problem anyway. It did nothing, and obviously if you’re doing nothing you’re making the problem worse. Although it was necessary for people to cry (she knew that for a fact), however it wasn’t any less excruciating to sit through especially if you were on the receiving end. So she was particularly grateful when the ethereal being had finished his emotional speil - which took approximately seven minutes, three seconds of her precious time along with what was left of her sanity. 

“Finished?” She stated bluntly, without really asking. The doctor was going to continue her explanation whether the blonde liked it or not. It needed to be done, just like the many other important things she had planned. She just hoped that there wouldn’t be any more inconvenient mishaps like this occurring as long as she could help it.

The angel nodded in response to her question, wiping away several stray tears away with a worn out creamy white handkerchief that he had brought out of his pocket a few moments prior. 

“Good.” She cheerfully replied with that same fake enthusiasm that the doctor had started with. “Let’s get on with it, shall we? You’ve already wasted enough time as it is.” She then retrieved a second file on her desk and opened it to look at, this time marked with Crowley’s name - his true name. Though the doctor didn’t read it aloud, rightfully so, in fear of the angel making another huge scene and she didn’t want to sit around her office all day. So instead she just commented on the records, saying, “Obviously, collateral damage doesn’t seem to be something that neither angels nor demons tend to take into account. Despite it happening fairly frequently due to your silly quarrels.” The file was then closed, leaving Aziraphale to wonder about the numerous misdeeds that they were able to find on Crowley, before she moved on to the next file - which was empty and wasn’t labeled. “But forget about that for now, why don’t we answer your question? If you really want to know why I’ve brought you here  _ this _ …” She stated, gesturing to the empty file, “... is why.”

Aziraphale blinked a few times confusedly at her testimony and looked at her, then the file, then her again. She still wore that distant, yet contented, expression on her face.

  
“As I’ve mentioned previously, Adina is a collective dedicated to repurposing, containing, and eradicating supernatural threats.” The doctor paused, as her smile grew wider (possibly the only genuine expression she made in the duration of the conversation). “And I can finally say after countless hours of endless planning, tracking, and research we have finally caught our golden goose and it all starts with this file. Which may not seem like much now but it will make history because it will be the one file in existence that documents all of the things that we find out about the true nature of angels and demons. But I can’t do that without thanking you personally because all of this wouldn’t be possible in the slightest without your contribution since  _ you  _ are our golden goose, afterall.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art is dangerous. It is one of the attractions: when it ceases to be dangerous you don't want it. - Duke Ellington


	48. Chapter 48

Crowley’s body felt like ice. 

The cold tile floor he had been sitting on which was only a slight inconvenience just a moment ago, now almost stung his feet whenever he made the slightest movement in search for some kind of comfort. However, his corporation seemed to be failing him at the moment and the thin blanket that the human man had given him wasn’t much help either. Although, the demon still tried his best to gather every single ounce of warmth from the garment that he possibly could as the man stared down at him worriedly seemingly unaffected by the obviously frigid conditions. Couldn't he feel how cold it was? Or was the demon just imagining the amount of discomfort that he was currently experiencing?

“You alright?” The man asked, trying his best to comfort the boy but there wasn’t much else he could do to help the miserable creature that was curled up on the floor in front of him beyond what he had already done. It would only be a matter of time before he would be called to retrieve the occult being and he knew that whatever they ( _ they _ being the doctor and her scientist) planned on doing to the Little would not be good at all and even if the redhead was a demon, he was still just a kid. 

He had already seen what they had done to the other people that they kept here and things didn’t generally end up going well for them if the doctor wasn’t able to repurpose them after a certain time. Not that she wasn’t willing to invest more time in her projects, Terry knew that for sure. He had once seen her lock herself in one of the examination rooms for hours with one of her subjects, a man who was a renowned killer with the ability to read minds and who would use his capabilities to charm unsuspecting women, take them to a secluded place, rape them, then kill them. Terry didn’t see what happened to the man till afterward when he left the examination room as an empty husk of the smug creep that entered the room only a few hours before, with the fear of God instilled within him, screaming and begging for someone to help him. Terry figured he got what he deserved for what he had done to all of those girls and could only imagine the type of Hell that the doctor had put him through.

Generally most of the people that were brought to the facility were like that man, sickos that thought they could get away with anything just because they had some special power. It wasn’t very often that you would find the ones that were brought here just due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but there were still some. Unfortunately they didn’t tend to last very long, not many of them did, even if they were given a second chance at a new beginning.

The door opened again as the man with the fox mask returned from his trip from the infirmary. 

_ “Perfect timing.”  _ Terry thought to himself, a bit bothered, knowing that his nephew’s presence would make the situation ten times more complicated than it had to be before taking a deep sigh and furrowing his brows in concern once he noticed how Mikey’s hand looked much worse than it had earlier. It was poorly wrapped in bloody white gauze. Another thing he’d have to fix.

“What the hell is going on here?” The younger man said in response to seeing the Little still on the floor next to his uncle, who didn’t seem to be doing very much to complete the task they were given (which was to retrieve Crowley and take him to testing by 3:00 pm sharp, it was 2:49). Terry didn’t appear bothered by the impending deadline though and instead directed his attention to the wound, grabbing the young man's arm to get a better look at the injury. Mikey jerked his hand away. "That’s not important. Now c’mon, everyone’s waiting for you us.” The other responded, pulling the older man by the sleeve and gesturing to Crowley, impatiently. "We only have ten minutes."

"I know, alright? Just give me a sec. I need some time to think." 

"Ughhhh… what now?" Mikey lifted his mask, revealing the face of a young man, probably in his late teens or early twenties, with dark eyes, black curly hair, and a very displeased expression on his face.

"Well for starters, I thought I told you to go to the infirmary.” Terry spat back, his voice riddled with a level of anxiousness and slight irritation.

"I did." The other replied, and his answer was met with much disapproval as they continued to bicker some more. Which involved a lot of inappropriate name calling from the younger man and a few smacks to the back of the head fromTerry (Nothing to really hurt Mikey but Terry hoped it could possibly knock some sense into the kid’s thick skull. It never worked though.) before they were interrupted by a few painful whines, suddenly remembering why they were even there as both of them turned their heads in unison. 

Terry then placed his attention back to Crowley. “Look at him.” He tisked, furrowing his brows in concern. “He’s not well.”

“You’re seriously not suggesting, what I think you are, are you?” 

“He’s so little.”

“No.  _ No. _ He’s a dangerous, scary, demon… thing… and we should be treating him as such. Aren’t you the one who is always telling me to concentrate on the job?” 

“Cause you’re stupid and get us in trouble.”

“Stupid?  _ Pfftt! _ This is stupid! You can’t possibly put both of us on the line by letting our prisoner just roam free. What about the money? And Casey? The doctor’s the only one who can help her. You’re not just going to let her die, just because of some criminal who’s most likely pretending to be hurt so he can get out of a shitty situation?”

“Of course not!” Terry said back angrily, without giving his nephew the chance to continue. “I love her as much as you, okay? You know that I wouldn't let anyone hurt her… I’m just saying that this whole thing doesn’t feel right.” It was only to be expected that Terry would feel sorry for the demon, he was a Caregiver after all. Usually this wouldn't have been a problem, since Terry tended to scare off most Littles that he tried to interact with except those brats that Eva always kept around (Mikey didn’t like them very much) due to his large stature and the face that he looked more like a common street thug than someone who would read you a bedtime story. Mikey figured that it was the scar on his face or maybe that he didn’t smile enough. He really didn’t know... Terry was actually a real softie once you got to know him. But that just wasn’t the way things tended to work for the old man who was guided away from indulging his true nature and being pushed into a much different life path then he would have chosen for himself. Though, often regrettably, people are molded by circumstances rather than their true character and this case wasn’t any different than the ones before.

Terry then took one last glance at the creature on the ground, then to Mikey who looked to him with pleading eyes before standing Crowley up and guiding the demon down the hallway. It was almost time.


	49. Final Update (to be continued… maybe not???)

Hello, guys! I really have tried countless times to make a new chapter but I don’t know if I can continue this story any further. I am awfully sorry but I just have sort of become dissatisfied with everything I’ve written to continue this fic (and believe me  _ I’ve  _ ** _tried._ ** ) But none of the ideas I came up with thus far have met my standards and I’d rather just stop the story now and have an incomplete narrative that is enjoyable to read, compared to a finished work that is fairly mediocre…

That doesn’t mean that I won’t consider continuing this story in the future or make other fics (and there are many oneshots I have written on the side that contain Little!Crowley/Caregiver!Aziraphale content, because I just think it’s so sweet, that I may be posting soon) but as of right now, I don’t have the motivation to continue this particular project.

Again, I am e x t r e m e l y sorry if have disappointed you with this not so good update and hopefully you aren’t too upset about the abrupt ending to this ongoing fanfic. And as always, I hope all of you have a wonderful day/night! Sorry.


	50. Chapter 50

Crowley didn’t fight, he didn’t say anything, he just thought as he followed the two men to his doom. It wasn’t worth making a big scene at this point considering the circumstances, and it wasn’t like the demon knew where to run. Even if he did, he probably wouldn’t make it that far, keeping in mind how horrible he felt right now. His stomach was making flips and he wasn’t sure if it was due to some type of sickness or the amount of guilt he was feeling at the moment. (Maybe both.) And by someone… he felt so guilty… it was his fault he was here, no one else’s. And for what? Because he felt like he made a friend after only knowing them for less than a month? Of course that was what he thought… he was being stupid… nobody ever wanted to really have him around. These people just wanted to take advantage of him and he was naive enough to fall for their tricks. 

_ Just like before… _

A part of Crowley hoped that everything that happened was just an elaborate bad dream. The kidnapping, the car crash, the party, the playdate, the trip to the store. Everything. At least if that was the case he could wake up and know that Aziraphale would be alright. He’d probably still be overdosing on suppressants but his angel would be fine nonetheless and that’s  _ all _ that mattered. However, as much as he wanted to see his angel right now he probably thought it was best it wasn’t here in this maze of long hallways, numbered doors, surrounded by white walls and even more sickeningly bright white lights.

In many ways the facility reminded him of when he first saw Heaven after his six thousand years absence. At first it was strange to believe that a place that was once so beautiful ended up becoming some large office building full of self-righteous asshole bureaucrats… actually… it was always full of self-righteous asshole bureaucrats (they just didn’t wear fancy suits when Crowley was there). Sure, Heaven was never a place that he considered home but at least it’s general allure was something that he could appreciate. He guessed this is what everyone in Heaven considered to be ‘progress’. Though, Crowley thought that their idea of ‘progress’ was just some complicated lie to hide the fact that they were actually trying to further distance themselves from how everything was before the Fall. (Not very different from Hell. Hell just did it in other ways.)

  
“We’re here.” Terry said, snapping the demon out of his current thoughts, startling Crowley a bit as he felt his diaper become significantly wetter than it had been a few moments ago. His face turned a light pink and he looked down nervously in hopes that the other two hadn’t noticed how much of a baby he was being for getting so startled over nothing. Luckily that wasn’t the case, and instead he was just pushed through a tall entranceway forcefully by the younger man and the serpent hissed in annoyance as he considered the possibility of biting his other hand. But this time he wasn’t given the chance to do so as he was suddenly bombarded by a congregation of white coats who poked and prodded at him without any regard for personal space as they pinned him down to an examination table to observe him - taking a few small blood and saliva samples, shining a light into his eyes, and writing the numbers  _ 083 _ on his right arm in thick black permanent marker. He was then placed onto a large circular chamber encapsulated by glass before the researchers went outside to another room, leaving Crowley all alone with a familiar blonde haired angel in a very similar predicament who stared back at the demon on the other side of the room.


	51. Chapter 51

The doctor chewed at the end of her pencil and looked at her notes as she mumbled incoherently to herself, going through all of the necessary steps in order to conduct her experiment and find the results she was looking for. She had gone over the procedure a million times with countless others who had unusual abilities. However this was different… her other patients were human… so she was a bit more antsy than usual, knowing that she didn’t have a very good frame of reference to better prepare herself and the only thing she could really work off of were her trials with Casey. Though those were a bit uncertain as well because Casey was a bit of an anomaly to begin with and half of the time the girl wasn’t in a well enough condition to handle the absurd amount of magical energy that she was harnessing and the true extent of her abilities were quite ambiguous as well as unpredictable. 

“Doctor Mercer?” A voice called from the office’s doorway where her lead assistant stood, in his rather unimpressive stature - wearing a pair of glasses with scratched up frames, along with one of his dorky graphic tees that he wore under his lab coat (today’s subject matter was Pickle Rick), as his unkempt mop of dusty colored hair sat on his head waywardly.

“Yes, Oliver.” She answered not even looking up from her writings as she continued to make several last minute revisions to her calculations.  _ Maybe if she increased the increments between voltage levels she would get a more effective results. But she would have less accurate pain tolerance reading and run the risk of having to wait longer between test… _

“Everything has been set up just the way you specified.”

“Uh-huh…”

“So we’re ready to begin the operation as soon as you are. Both of the subjects are in their respective holding chambers as of right now and are both in stable condition.”

“And you retrieved the required samples?”

“Yes, though there was a bit of trouble with SUBJECT 082, who was quite hostile toward the staff when we took him from here an hour ago, and unfortunately we had to inject him with another dose of sedatives. So it may be another half-hour before he is ready to begin trials.”

_ “Great…”  _ The doctor thought,  _ “More waiting…” _

“Although, SUBJECT 083 was quite cooperative when we took him into examination and is ready now if you want to start with him.”

“Thank you for the offer. But, I’d much rather do their test at the  _ same _ time. You know… like I  _ told _ you. This experiment requires that we have the best comparative data.” She replied again, this time flashing him with one of her distant smiles that lacked any sense of emotion behind them, though the frustration in her voice was apparent. She then placed her pencil down begrudgingly, finally deciding to continue with what she already had planned so she could continue with the experiment in a timely manner.

“M-My apologies, ma’am.” The other man replied meekly as he fumbled with his hands.

The doctor sighed and massaged her temple,“Anything else I should know? Anymore setbacks?”

“Ah well… I wouldn’t necessarily consider this a setback…”

“What is it, Oliver?”

“One of your escorts wanted to speak to you. He has a few issues regarding SUBJECT 083 and he wanted to check the progress on the test for SUBJECT 052. I believe his name is Terrence Gardner he also needed to get in contact with Eva about an on the job injury his nephew acquired while dealing with one of the test subjects.”

“Is he here now?” 

“Yes, he is right outside.” 

“Alright, bring him inside. Let’s see what he has to say.”


	52. Chapter 52

“Oh dear… what have they done to you?” 

Crowley looked awfully tired as he sat on the floor of the holding chamber, trembling and leaning against the glass. The angel’s question was reciprocated with a desperate expression and it appeared as if tears were beginning to outline the outer rims of the serpent’s eyes. But he didn’t cry and instead hid his face behind his hair in shame and extended his hand out to his angel only for it to rest on the glass. Aziraphale mirrored Crowley's actions, also placing his hand on the edge of the barrier. All he wanted to do was hold his baby and he was right there just out of his reach, suffering in this cold unfamiliar place. 

"I'm so sorry…" Aziraphale choked out, as feelings of regret began to stir within him. Crowley didn't belong here. His demon deserved to be home, warm and cozy amongst his toys and surrounded by books. Not anywhere near here… "I didn't think they would do this… Eva and Opal… they seemed like good people. I-I just…"

Crowley shook his head in disagreement before locking eyes with Aziraphale, in hopes that it was enough to convey that he didn’t blame the angel for any of this, since he didn't trust himself to speak at the moment. 

“Oh, don’t be that way.” The ethereal being replied, sounding a bit more astringent than he meant to let on. Crowley visibly shrunk into himself, noticing the other’s change in mood. “I should have done things differently, my boy. I said I would take care of you... and I try so hard... I really do. But you don’t realize how challenging this all is for me. Whenever I think things are going well it all crumbles to pieces before we have the chance to truly enjoy it.” The angel let out a defeated sigh and looked up to the ceiling. “I don’t know what to do, Crowley. And by Go- someone… I wish I did, so at least I wouldn’t feel liable for all of the horrible things that keep recurring. I can’t keep being the one who has to watch you get hurt, it frightens me so much… and I’m just so tired… You understand that, right?” 

Aziraphale looked back to Crowley and the serpent nodded in response, knowing exactly what the angel was saying, before the tears that he was holding back began to fall, as he wept silently.

_ “Angel doesn’t want me anymore.” _

_ “I’m too much.” _

_ “He’s tired of me.” _

_ “I messed up everything….” _

_ _

“Please, don’t cry…” There was so much pain in the Aziraphale’s voice, and it only made Crowley feel worse. He hurt his angel and now he made him worry more than he already was. “I promise, I’ll get you out of here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- happy holidays everyone! ⛄️⛄️⛄️  
\- hopefully you all are having a good christmas, hanukkah, kwanzaa... ect… ect… (there are so many winter holidays…) and i hope you are enjoying it with the people you care most about  
\- i’m sorry for leaving you with such a bitter sweet chapter today. but there is more to come, since i finally reunited these two idiots. lol. (@wondercurls1917- i fnally gave crowley back is angel... sort of…)


	53. Chapter 53

“Where the hell is Eva?!” Terry said, barging into the doctor’s office as he dragged Mikey along with him. The younger man didn’t look so well, now that his face had a sort of bleached complexion and his breaths were shallow and strained. The other man was quite obviously very upset and had a look of displeasure on his face, while he held up the others hand which revealed the injury that still hadn’t stopped bleeding from before.

“Stop it! I’m fine…” Mikey protested weakly as he attempted to pull his hand away from Terry’s grip. But his efforts were futile and his hand was held firmly in place for the doctor to see. Though the doctor’s lack of sympathy for the young man’s injuries was apparent by the same apathetic smile she wore all of the time.

“It’s nice to see you too, Terence.” She replied, completely ignoring the man’s question and directing her attention to the other who eyed her distrustfully. “Micheal.”

“I said… where the hell is Eva?” Terry repeated, irritated by the woman’s lack of interest. “Her and the rest of the healers are supposed to be at the infirmary and it’s completely empty. Nobody is there and there is  _ obviously _ a person who needs immediate medical attention. So tell me where she is.”

“They’ve been relocated.” The doctor replied simply before getting up from her chair and sorting her things.

“Everyone? Even Charlie? And Paris? What can possibly be so important that all three of our healers must be gone?”

“Well, if you must know...” The doctor responded, rather acrimoniously since for some reason everyone was trying everything in their power to waste her valuable time. “They have gone to assist those who are in charge of obtaining the boy. So if the survival of the human race is important to you in any measure, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t challenge my decisions as your superior.”

“Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do. I know my rights, and I have the right to voice my concerns.”

“Yes, I am aware. I also have the right to decide whether or not those concerns are worth my time and energy. And by the looks of it, this seems like a minor complication that I am not accountable for. Your nephew was obviously not following the predetermined basic protocol.”

“Oh... so you are just going to let this go? I can’t believe you, Jobi.” Terry spat back as the doctor’s smile began to fade. Very few people called her by her first name. Let alone,  _ that _ name. “After all of the time I invested working my ass off for you, and you can’t even honor a simple request like this? I was here since the beginning, coming on time each day, never taking a day off, and doing everything you asked without question! You seem to forget that I was there when this operation was just a bunch of college kids playing around in a shed. You wouldn’t be anywhere close to where you are now if it wasn’t for my contribution and you have no  _ idea _ how much shit you put me through. And what do I get? Nothing.”

“Sacrifices had to be made. You more than anyone else should know that.”

“Yeah… I know…” Terry replied coldly, “Like Claire and Theo? You know what? Fuck you… you don’t even care about Casey, do you? You don’t care about anyone.”

“How  _ dare _ you…”

“Is it not true? Let me know if I’m wrong.” 

There was a moment of silence between the two of them before the doctor spoke again with a melancholy tone, as if she had lost something very dear to her. “Things were different then Terrence... this is much bigger than any of us could have anticipated.” She then made her way to the door as Terry followed after and Mikey tried his best to keep up, stumbling clumsily with each step he took.

“Wait up… asshole...” He mumbled wearily before falling over and gaining the attention of everyone else. Terry immediately ran to him.

“Mikey? Hey, c’mon get up.” The old man took Mikey in his arms and sat him up, tapping him lightly on the cheek for any kind of response but the young man was limp in his arms. He then looked back to the two others expectantly (including Oliver who had the habit of making himself go by unnoticed, although he was present for the entire uncomfortable exchange between the doctor and Terry). “Why are you just standing there? Do something!”

“Well, what do you expect me to do? He said he was fine, didn’t he?” The doctor said, continuing on her path along with Oliver.

“Please…” Terry begged, this time gaining one last cold glance from the doctor before she turned away and shut the office door.


	54. Chapter 54

Aziraphale had quickly turned his head to the sound of an opening door. 

It was the doctor along with the entourage of white coats who had been there previously, and Aziraphale glared at her. She ignored the blonde and instead directed her attention to the sniffling Little, before walking towards the demon who reflexively moved away from her, remembering that the last time they had met face to face she had hit him.

“Can you please stop that?” She simply said, “You’re blubbering is distracting and I would rather not deal with that right now. Thank you.” The doctor was never one for subtlety.

Crowley then tried his best to stop, covering his mouth with his hands and shaking as he held back sobs and the doctor smiled back at him. The angel’s look of disdain towards the woman intensified.

“Step away you… very bad… person!” The angel responded, clearly agitated by what she had said to his baby. “If you dare to even lay a finger on him I  _ will _ smite you.”

"And what?" She questioned, looking back towards the angel with a curious expression. "I'd forever be scorched by eternal hell fire? Smiting won't exactly help you now and I doubt it would even matter when I'm finished. You have much more crucial things to worry about than an abrasive request. So can you please leave me alone? Or I'll give him something to really cry about."

Now Aziraphale was furious, pounding his fist against the glass barrier and shouting angrily as she continued to walk past the two supernatural beings and to a control panel which had a large array of buttons and switches. Behind the control panel stood three or four other researchers, which the angel didn't bother paying attention to as he continued to make some very unangelic comments to the doctor.

"What's the status on SUBJECT 083?" The doctor asked Oliver, who was standing behind the counter.

"His condition is stable." The other replied as he typed away at the array of keys in front of him.

"Good, then let's proceed to trial one. We're starting with pain resistance analysis and I want you to set the voltage levels to ten percent"

“Ten?”

“Did I stutter?”

“No ma’am… it’s just that, that’s a bit much, don’t you think?” Oliver then tentatively looked back towards the woman. “Usually we start at five percent. The human body can only handle so much…”

“I can see your concern. But I assure you, that although they may look like it, they are not human. I know what I’m doing, Oliver. So, I would greatly appreciate it if you’d just follow my instructions before you end up like Mr. Gardener.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He then pursed his lips uncomfortably in response before making some adjustments to his original procedure. It was exactly 2:00 am when he looked down at his monitor screen and Oliver couldn’t help but help but think of a phrase that his grandfather always used to say.

_ “Nothing good ever happens after 2:00 am.” _

He never gave it much thought until now but as a feeling of uneasiness seeped into the forefront of his mind, he sort of believed that there was some truth to the old man’s crazy ramblings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- ya girl has come back from the dead. ( ᐕ)  
\- *sweats*  
\- sorry for such a long wait for the next chapter. but life happens sometimes, and sadly that is something even i can’t control.


	55. Chapter 55

Terry was about to do something crazy and highly irrational. He didn’t know what it was yet but he knew it involved three distinct things - a box of matches, a little girl, and the sociopath he that was now listlessly leaning against him as he made his way down the hallway aimlessly. Even after spending almost five years working at this facility he could barely find his way around this place. And it was only fitting that now when he actually needed to get somewhere in this damn maze the only person who would be willing to help him, was probably dead.

But, thankfully, he was able to find what he was looking for and he let out a sigh of relief as he approached a heavy metal door, covered in a multitude of scratches and dents, and labeled with the numbers 052. (The door definitely sounded much more intimidating in it’s chosen description. However if you had seen it in person and knew that it was decorated with a  _ generous  _ amount of Sanrio themed memorabilia you wouldn’t have any ill thoughts as you walked through the door.)

“Casey?” The old man called when he opened the door only to find that it appeared to be completely empty. “Sweetheart? Where are you?”

“I͘’̵̴̷̡͝m̶ ̴̨̧͢͡h͞e̡̨r̡̨ę̨,̴̶̕͡ ̵̸̴s̷̕i͝҉̛l҉̢͜͞l̵y̢̛!̡͏̵” A voice which didn’t sound quite human responded to the man’s question and a somewhat hazy presence suddenly made itself visible.

“What was that?” Terry then said as he carefully approached the thing in front of him. “I need you to say that one more time for me.”

“S̷o̷rry.” The other apologized, this time sounding less like radio static and now possessing a face. The girl looked an awful lot like her father with her bright green eyes and dark black hair that framed her face. Unlike Mikey who resembled his mother more closely, with his brown eyes and light brown curls. “Hi̸, ̶Unc͏le!”

“Hello, sweetie.” The man replied affectionately, as he dragged the young man across to the room and plopped him down onto a twin bed which was decorated much like the bedroom door, Casey watched her uncle worriedly.

“W͟hat happ͠en̶ed ͞t̕o̧ ̶Mikey?”

“Nothing. Don’t worry about him, he’s fine.” There was no certainty behind Terry’s words.

“H̡ȩ d͞oesn't ͝look̷ fin͞e̴. ͠He lo̵ok̷s s̕ic̛k͜ Uncle.”

“I know he’s just… so… um… overwhelmed about the... good news!”

“Good n̡ews?͏ Wh҉at ̸happ̕ȩn͏ed!͡”

“Well guess what lovely? I was just talking to the doctor and you wouldn’t believe it. She said that you passed every single test and she is very proud.”

“R̢e͡ąlly̴͜?!̨” Casey’s face immediately lit up with joy, and the most precious smile came to her face. (There were also a few objects around the room that began to levitate.)

“Yes! Of course, and she wanted me to come and tell you that we are leaving today.”

“A̡re ̡w͠e g̴ơin͏g to͡ Di͏s͠n̷ey ̕World?̷”

“Wait. What?” That was not expected,  **at all** .

“Disne͠y ͠World.͜ ͠The d͝octo̢r s͘aid̕ once͏ ͏I fi͠n͝is͞h̕ I c͘ou͟ld̨ go there.͟”

“She said that, huh? Was she also  _ paying _ ? Because your uncle’s finances are far from ideal for something like… that...” Terry could automatically see the disappointment in Casey’s eyes start to form. So he decided to make a choice that he would absolutely regret. “But… uh… you did pass. So, of course, we’re going! It’s going to be so much fun honey!”

"Are w̸e ̷goi̢n̡g̢ now?̸"

"Ah… no, sweetie. I need you to keep an eye on your brother”

"I ͝th͏ou̕ght you s͢a͜i͘d̢ ̸Mike͝y ҉was ̵o̡kay?”

"H-He is." Terry assured, keeping up the lie. “Your uncle just has some important business to take care of.”

“Wh̛at̵ ̕is ͞i̶t͠?”

“Something I should have done a very long time ago. So if I don't return in ten minutes or if Mikey stops breathing, I want you both to get out of here as fast as you can and don't come back."

"I can't car͠ry him Unçle, ̷he's to͞o̶ hea͘vy."

"I'm not asking you to carry him, I just want you to get him out of the building."

"O̡ǫooooh͟hhh͘.͘ ̸So I c͠an̵ do̷ t͡he̶  _ ͡t̶hing͏ _ ?"

"Yes. You can do the  _ thing _ ." The old man sighed hesitantly, knowing exactly what  _ thing _ would possibly entail for his dear nephew, as he walked out the door. “Just don’t make Mikey explode.”

"I͝ w͞on't."


	56. Chapter 56

There was a flash of light, a screech of pain that followed, then an unbearable silence filled the examination room. Aziraphale tried to do something. Anything. But he just froze in place completely speechless and unable to comprehend the immensity of the situation and all that he could truly sense was an unbearable ache in his chest, as if someone had just ripped his heart out of it’s corporation.

There was no air.

There was no sound.

The room was still flashing and there was a faint buzzing, but it was all too far away for the angel to really care about. There were now groups of researchers exiting the room in a panicked spree, though Azirapahle was much too focused on the limp body which still hadn’t moved.

_ Why isn’t he moving? _

_ Why is everyone running? _

_ There is something wrong. _

Two of the researchers stayed, the doctor who seemed furious as her eyes darted back and forth behind a screen and a younger man who had seemed to turn pale with fear when the woman had decided to shove everything off of the desk onto the ground. She shouted angrily pacing around the room and the principality watched, unable to understand why she was so distraught. She had gotten everything she wanted, hadn’t she? She captured her two test subjects. She had done her test. What else did she need now?

There was more pacing and shouting that had followed her initial reaction before she had instructed the young man to hand her a stack of papers then to follow her outside and when the door had opened there was the distinct smell of gasoline that had filled the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh dear… what have i done?


	57. Chapter 57

Terry felt beads of sweat roll down the side of his face as he ran through the hallway and down multiple flights of stairs. His hands reeked of fuel and it wasn’t inappropriate to say that he was much too old to be doing anything such as setting fires and the particular one he had just created was beginning to become too large for him to outrun, engulfing every single bit of the facility that he had walked through thus far. He knew that it was definitely too large for anyone to stop now and it would take much more than a bit of water to stop.

There was the occasional person that would run past him with a desperate expression on their face, anxious to leave the building as soon as they could, who was much too preoccupied with their own survival rather than to question why Terry was running in the opposite direction. Proving that what the man had predicted was correct. Fires make people panic and when people panic there are many flaws in judgment. Which wasn’t a problem for him whatsoever, as long as he could make it to his final destination, do what he needed to do, and get the hell out of this place. There wasn’t that far to go anyway and he knew that as long as he kept on the right track he would be able to find the poor Little demon, in hopes that he could possibly rectify what he had done to contribute to this ill situation.

No one deserved to be here now.

When he had finally arrived at the examination room it was basically unrecognizable compared to what it had been before. The sleek white walls were now camouflaged by flames that had trickled their way in an upward dance, the floors were coated in ash, and there were papers left abandoned by those who had left in a hurry after they had heard the alarms go off unexpectedly. The only thing that man was able to recognize was the two chambers which still stood on the far sides of the testing room, before running to the one which held the demon.

“Hey, kid!” He called out, knocking against the glass where the Little was kept. But he didn’t answer and instead another voice called out to him. It sounded hoarse and fantic.

“Step away from him!” It protested angrily. Terry turned around to find where the voice was coming from, only to find an angry professor with light blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked as if he was ready to break through the glass at any moment and Terry observed him cautiously, backing away from where the demon was kept and raising his hands so the other could see. 

“H-Hey…” The man replied, trying to calm the angel down who obviously seemed unhappy with his presence. “I come in peace, alright?”

“ ** _Leave._ ** ” Aziraphale commanded, not even bothering to hear the man’s explanation. 

“But...”

“Now.” This time the principality wasn’t taking no for an answer. “I do not care what it is you are here for. I will not let you hurt him…”

“I just want to get him out of here.”

“And then what? You’re going to use him for your cruel experiments? Haven’t you had enough?!”

“Look, I don’t like this as much as you do. I understand-”

“You don't understand a single thing I’m saying!” The angel spat back and it seemed as if the building shifted in response to his screams. “You have no idea what you’ve done.”

“I promise. I’ll make sure you are both safe. You can even come with us, alright? But we need to leave now!”

“How do I know you’re not lying? Y-You can’t expect me to believe you now after everything.”

“You’re right, I can’t expect you to just believe me and I’m sorry for whatever I’ve done to cause this fucked up situation… I was just doing my job. But you have to understand that we only have a limited time here before everything goes to shit. I’m taking that poor kid out of that cage whether you’re coming with us or not.” Terry then opened the chamber before picking up Crowley’s slender form and turning to leave. “I won’t just let him die because you can’t bear to not know what my true intentions are."

“W-Wait! He’s all I have… please… don’t take him from me.” Now, tears were beginning to collect around the corners of Aziraphale’s eyes as he watched the demon intently. “I need him…”


	58. Chapter 58

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here’s just some wholesomeness. short and sweet.

Mikey wasn’t happy when he came back to the land of the living which was apparent by the shocked expression he wore as he watched his kid sister’s body do the thing where it faded in an out of existence. He could never quite get used to that even though he had seen it happen so many times before and it was even more alarming when he had noticed that they were both in front of a flaming building.

“What the hell is going on?!” He automatically questioned and he frantically sat up from where he was laying. Casey was oddly calm and instead had a huge smile plastered on her face as she squeezed her older brother tightly.

“I’m so gl͡a̸d ̴you ҉di͝dn’t ̨ex̕p̸lod̡e̵.͢”

“The fuck...” Now Mikey was even more confused as he tried to remember if there would have been a situation which would involve him bursting into bits. But the only thing he could recall was the awkward conversation he had witnessed, between Dr. Mercer and Terry.

_ Where was that old man anyway? _


	59. Chapter 59

At times, it was almost as if the demon Crowley had possessed a sixth sense. Very similar to how Peter Parker had a spidey-sense to recognize when danger was near, our dear friend Anthony J. Crowley had an angel-sense. Likely developed after thousands of years of pining after the ethereal blonde, it had become a very useful tool to keep track of Aziraphale over the centuries they had been together. That is… until now, when his angel-senses conveniently started to kick in just as Aziraphale was set free from the glass chamber where he was held. The Little demon wriggled awake slowly opening his eyes expecting his angel to be there (which was a completely accurate prediction on the demon’s behalf), he just didn’t anticipate said angel to be surrounded by flaming gust of fire. In response to this, the demon had practically leaped out of the arms of the human who was currently holding him and onto a floor covered in ash, dust, and papers before quickly sauntering away in the unusual way he did into a maze of hallways and staircases. 

“Oh dear…” Aziraphale said to himself, realizing what had just happened, before racing out of the room to chase after his baby and leaving Terry alone as well as clearly baffled by the sudden unfortunate turn of events. The poor man had only been here with the angel and demon for about five minutes, maybe ten at the most (that was Terry being very,  _ very _ generous), yet despite his efforts he had already lost both of them within that short amount of time.

***

“Crowley!” The angel called out, as he scanned each floor for any sign of the ginger, though he wasn’t having very much luck. Everywhere he had searched had looked completely the same, there was only fire and ash, and the longer he searched it only made it seem like he wouldn’t ever find the demon anywhere. It was starting to become much more dangerous as the building began to convulse again. This time it wasn’t in response to the principality’s anger and it wouldn’t be long before the whole facility would collapse in on itself. “Anthony!” Aziraphale called again, this time using his first name, the angel way really starting to become desperate, yet here was still no response… at least not a very coherent one. Instead what the angel had gotten was a very muffled yelp from the inside of an old supply closet.

When the angel had pushed away the door he had found his demon tucked away in a quiet corner for himself to stay (or at least as quiet of a corner that one can find inside of a burning building) with his body tightly coiled in on itself as he trembled restlessly in response to the to Aziraphale opening the door and the roaring of the flames that flared up behind him as he entered.

Crowley definitely didn’t like this. He didn’t like a  _ single _ thing about this.

“S-sorry…” He then apologized, before immediately kneeling down so Crowley could catch sight of him, however the serpent backed away and hugged his knees more tightly. 

“It was only me, my boy I did not intend to startle you.” There was a pause as the angel tried his best to analyze the demon’s body movements for any signs that Crowley had comprehended anything that was occuring. But that wasn’t quite obvious. Aziraphale then reached forward and gently outlining his hands just around the other’s face in an attempt to get the occult being’s attention. He was quite happy when the other’s gaze raised to meet him.

“I understand that you must be quite frightened at the moment but we must leave, Crowley. It’s not safe here.” 

“...”

“Dear? Did you hear what I said?” 

“...”

“Crowley… I know it’s difficult but if we stay we will discorporate. So please come with me… I don’t want you to get hurt.”

The demon still stayed firmly in place, without any indication that he would do anything else. The floor shook again causing the boy to become more distressed than he already was as he instinctively brought himself closer to Aziraphale, who knew that he would probably have to do something that he would soon regret.

“Hush... it’s fine dear… I’m not going anywhere I assure you I’ll stay here as long as you need me. When this is all over it will all just seem like a bad dream, alright?” The angel petted the others hair tenderly before placing a tender kiss onto the others temple. “Rest well, my love.”

“Ah g-great!” Terry said, interrupting the tender moment between the pair of supernatural beings and finding Crowley fast asleep against the blonde’s shoulder. Aziraphale seemed quite upset. “Ah… wait…” Terry then took a moment to catch his breath before speaking again. “I don’t know what happened here. But uh… we need to go. The exit’s three door’s down.”


	60. Chapter 60

The car ride back was quiet. 

Aziraphale certainly didn’t expect things to happen so smoothly and especially not in this manner. It was just much too easy of an escape compared to the build up that had occurred previously. He had somewhat expected a confrontation or at least some obstacle. But instead he was just ushered outside by the man and taken into a small and dingy Volkswagen along with two younger humans who had seemed to just go along with the situation without question. And everything was just very… anticlimactic… for the angel’s taste. 

The blonde clutched Crowley closer to him as he sat securely in the passenger's seat of the car with the sleeping Little in his lap. The older man (which Aziraphale had recently learned was named Terrence) had his eyes fixed squarely on the road in front of him, there was also a young man who had stared out of the window rather despondently for the duration of the car ride, and a little  _ girl? _ (Aziraphale wasn’t quite sure) was staring at him (more specifically Crowley) intently ever since they had gotten into the vehicle.

“Ar͝e you ̕hi̶s dad͟d͜y?” The girl questioned, finally breaking the thick silence and startling the ethereal being who hadn’t expected her voice to sound like muffled radio static.

“ _ Casey _ .” Terry scolded in response, before eyeing the girl in the rearview mirror. “You can’t just go around asking people questions like that.”

“Wh̢a͡t? I didn’t d͠o anythi̷ng wro҉ng… ̛I ͘w͜a͡s̢ j̶ust̶ c͞u̷rious.”

“Well stop it. If he wanted you to know he would have told you by now so don’t be rude.” The girl then crossed her arms and pouted unhappily as she grumbled something to herself that was incomprehensible to the other’s who were seated in the car with her. Terry ignored it knowing that it was most likely something that was much worse than the question she had asked that angel and he had wondered if he had let her spend too much time with Mikey before turning to speak to the angel. Aziraphale was clearly embarrassed by the awkward confrontation which was made obvious by the slightly rosy hue that now adorned his features and the way that he was fiddling the gold ring that sat on his right pinky. “Sorry about that.” Terry apologized, “We don’t go out much.”

“Ah…” The angel then spoke in response as his lips forced themselves into a tight smile. “W-We don’t either...”

“Hmm… Yup… Nice. Very, very nice.” Terry gripped tightly on the steering wheel. “I-I mean not the fact that you don’t really go out. Unless you like that sort of thing. I’m more a homebody myself y’know soooo there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

“Great, nice talk. Anyway… uh… this is probably not the best idea. But I was thinking you could come with us if you wanted to. My grandfather owned a small vacation home that isn’t too far from here, nobody has used it for years.”

“The offer is greatly appreciated but I would very much like to be back home, if it isn’t of any trouble to you.”

“Oh no, of course not. It’s been a pretty stressful night so I completely understand, it probably wouldn’t have been the best accommodations, now that I think of it.” Terry hadn’t known the angel for long but he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be very fond of being served a tray of microwave lasagna from the convenience store. “Just let me know where we’re headed and I’ll take you two back as soon as possible.”

***

“If you need anything just let me know, alright?” Terry said as he slowed the car to a halt and parked in front of the shop perched on the street corner before handing the angel a paper with a series of numbers. “I have a feeling that you will probably need some extra help.”

“Oh you don’t have to trouble yourself.” The angel refused, placing the note back into the man’s palm. “I’m sure Crowley and I will be okay. By tomorrow it will almost be as if the event’s of tonight never even happened.” (That last statement made Terry visibly concerned. Although he hoped that his disappointment in the couple’s lack in communication skills wasn’t too obvious.)

“Please, just take it.” Terry insisted as Aziraphale reluctantly accepted the small note before slipping it into his waist pocket. The blonde flashed Terry a nervous yet genuine smile to show his appreciation for the human’s kindness. 

“Thank you.”

“No problem, it’s the least I can do. I really am sorry for what happend.”

“Don’t be. I know that you were just trying to do your job and I completely understand how challenging that can be sometimes.  _ Trust me _ .”

“Yeah… Anyway, I probably should try to get these kids home.” Terry suddenly remarked, turning to the back seat to find that the other two passengers had dozed of during the long ride.

“Oh of course! I figure that it’s best that we go our separate ways now… farewell.” The angel then scurried out of the car still holding the demon close to him as he took a longing glance at the old bookshop and it felt good to finally be home. 


	61. Chapter 61

The sun didn't come the next morning and instead there was just rain, then after the rain came thunder and lightning, and after that Crowley woke up. The demon's body sprung forward abruptly to the loud crashing that rang throughout the sky as he felt his heart race inside of his chest and it took him a moment to get a grasp on what was happening before realizing that he was sitting on the small sofa in the backroom of the bookshop with Aziraphale accompanying him on the floor as the angels’s body leaned against the arm of the sofa. He was no longer in danger. However, he didn’t feel quite safe either.

An uneasiness seeped into the forefront of the occult being’s mind while he began to recollect everything that had happened to him. Remembering how the human’s hurt him, being so scared and vulnerable, and the feelings of frustration that he had caused his angel. He just got in the way, didn’t he? He could have helped or done more but instead he was too Little and too overwhelmed to even think of doing anything. This was the exact opposite of how things were supposed to go. He was supposed to do something, that’s what he had always done. At the church, he did something... in Paris, he did something… but now, he did nothing. Absolutely nothing. And to top it all off he had disappointed the one he had loved most and made everything as difficult as he possibly could by causing so many mishaps to occur over and over again.

“ _ Maybe I don’t belong here. _ ” He reasoned to himself, noticing a growing wetness leak from his diaper and onto where he was seated. He felt disgusted with himself for not having any control as the undergarment rubbed against his inner thigh and caused a slight burning sensation.

What value did he possess if he was only an obstruction in Aziraphale’s life? He tried his best not to be… he really did… though it couldn’t be helped that he was the way he was. Little. That was the reason why he was left alone to make the stars in Heaven, then sent to Earth without anyone. He always had to lie or over compensate for what he lacked in himself for others to even gain an ounce of respect towards him. So why would Aziraphale think he had value for being a pathetic baby?

“Did you have an accident, dear?” The angel asked, startling the ginger and pulling him from his uncomfortable thoughts and Aziraphale watched as Crowley continued to shift uncomfortably some more, trying his best to hide the obvious dark spot that outlined the seat of his pants and the sofa cushions before embarrassingly miracling away the liquid.

“Sssorry…”

“It’s alright, dear. Do you need anything? I can miracle up something for us to eat or-”

“N-No. You don’t have to do anything angel, you’ve done enough already.” The demon tried his best to seem like his chest wasn’t burning as he shot a weak smile in the other’s direction. He definitely wasn’t on the brink of tears.

“I don’t understand Crowley I thought you-”

“I’m leaving Aziraphale.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- not that this is important. but i just thought it was interesting.  
\- crowley’s last line of dialogue was at the end of chapter 40. it’s chapter 61.


	62. Chapter 62

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if i were heartless, i would end the story right here.

"Y-You can't just leave!" Aziraphale sputtered out, completely baffled by the serpent's unforeseen decision and Crowley looked away shamefully.

"Angel, please. Don't make this harder than it already is.”

“No.” Azirpahle, quite frankly, had had enough of these games. This was just a game right? Aziraphale followed Crowley around the room as the demon started to make preparations to leave, noticing how he had already miracled himself in his usual Big attire; complete with unreasonably tight trousers, a blazer, and that cursed bolo tie/scarf  _ thing _ . Now all he needed were his glasses… wherever he put them...

“That isn’t your decision to make Aziraphale. You can’t just expect me to stick around forever.”

“Well, what do you expect me to do?”

“I don’t know, Zira… try to figure something out.” Crowley was now getting increasingly frustrated with himself trying to find his glasses and conveniently directing his attention away from the blonde. He swore he had them somewhere around here. Did he leave them in the Bentley? Maybe they were in his flat. It had been quite awhile since he had last visited his home.

“Crowley, look at me please or at least speak to me.”

“Not right now, Aziraphale. Can’t you see that I’m busy?”

“I wasn’t asking, Crowley.”

“ _ WHAT! _ ” The serpent then snapped his head around to face the angel, who was taken aback by his sudden burst of anger, bearing his fangs as scales began to form around the outlines of his face. “What can I possibly say in this situation? You already told me you’re frustrated, then you want me around all of a sssudden?! I don’t understand what is going on between us. But you need to figure out what you want because I’m tired of thisss.”

“I just want to know why you’re so upset. Was it me? Did I do something to hurt you?”

“No…” Crowley’s voice was much softer now, though he was still obviously distraught. “Well, maybe… yes? I don’t know, angel… I just need some time to think things through, okay?”

“So what, are you… goodness... How do the humans say it these days? Breaking up with me?”

“Well, you don’t have to put it that way-”

“But that is what you are doing. Is it not?”

“Yeah, it is.”

“I see. Then I suppose we’re over…”

“I guess it is.”

“Will you at least tell me where you are going?” The angel asked, knowing what he wouldn’t receive a satisfying reply. 

However, he still let the last sliver of hope he possessed fool him into thinking that Crowley would actually tell him the truth and instead he got this, “I don’t think that's how breaking up works.”

“Oh right… Well if you ever decide you would like to come back you know where to find me. You do right?”   
  


“Angel, I can find you anywhere in this vast universe.”

“I know. I’m just making sure you were aware of that.” He then answered, looking back to Crowley with pleading eyes. “I’m just thinking about the plants, they would certainly miss having you here.”

“No they wouldn’t, all I do is berate them. Besides, they’ve been flourishing ever since I’ve brought them to the bookshop. You can have them if you want?”

“Yes. I would like that, very much.” Aziraphale nodded, looking down at his feet as he smiled to himself solemnly before walking over to Crowley and pulling the occult being closer to him. He didn’t want to let go. 

They stayed there for what seemed like a lifetime, but it was indeed only a few moments, followed by an electrifying kiss that made the earth shake beneath their feet. (Although that might have been caused by the dreadful weather. It was quite stormy outside.) Afterward, Crowley pulled away realizing that he probably shouldn’t be kissing the person he just broke up with. He then took a newly miracled pair of sunglasses from his jacket pocket and placed them on his face as he sauntered away to the bookshop’s entrance. When he opened the door the rain poured down violently and Aziraphale could see that the Bentley was waiting for him just outside despite the fact that it wasn’t there previously, before Crowley turned to face Aziraphale one last time.

“I love you, Aziraphale.”

“I love you too, Crowley.”


	63. Bonus Chapter ᕙ(＠°▽°＠)ᕗ - Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- decided to do another one of these things!  
\- i really just want to write some light hearted goodness and put it out into the world because for some reason everytime i try to write something it always ends up being so angsty  
\- i also need some time to refine some plot points for upcoming chapters. (there’s going to be some good stuff coming guys!)  
\- and, as always, if you guys have any suggestions for what you’d like to see next let me know! i will try my best to include it into the story.

  * crowley is a bit a germaphobe
    * that is part of the reason why he tries his best to spend as much time outside of hell as possible due to it’s unruly state
    * he also won’t shake hands with people he first meets
      * this has lead to a few awkward encounters
  * the reason why crowley barely eats is because he tends to eat more like a snake than a normal person
    * but when he does decide to eat he usually tries to get something like soup or a small appetizer
  * aziraphale is the talker and crowley is the listener
    * this is especially obvious when crowley is having a little day
      * he only tends to speak when he feels the subject is of utter importance
    * when crowley is feeling big, he will respond if he is spoken to or it is necessary for him to accomplish a certain goal. otherwise, he tends to keep to himself.
    * aziraphale does the exact opposite
      * he tends to speak lots about very frivolous subjects 
      * but when the subject matter is important he tends to have a very difficult time finding the right words to say
  * for an angel, aziraphale is a very good liar
    * the bastard won’t admit to it (for obvious reasons) and instead claims he is “divisive with his words”
    * this talent for lying also attributes to him being very good at gambling
      * crowley has never won in a game of poker against the angel
      * it has gotten to the point where the demon believes that aziraphale counts the cards as they play
        * zira probably does
    * aziraphale barely gambles due to the fact that he really doesn’t have anything to gain from it
      * he can just miracle anything he needs/wants
      * so he see’s gambling as a waste of time
  * crowley is a very talented musician
    * he can play the piano beautifully and also fancies the guitar 
    * he does sing sometimes
      * but usually does it to be comical rather than actually try to perform seriously 
    * sadly, he only does display’s his musical talents when he is heavily inebriated
  * zira was given a smartphone from crowley as a gift shortly after they started making their relationship a serious thing
    * aziraphale write’s every text message like a detailed letter
      * crowley thinks it cute. 
      * but the demon sometimes gets annoyed when it takes aziraphale 4 or 5 hours to respond to a simple question like “what do you want for dinner?” or “how was your day?” because the principality feels like he must respond with a complete novel


	64. Chapter 64

Aziraphale didn’t expect the phone to ring as he turned to direct his attention to another unanticipated surprise. He would have liked to have a bit more time to process the unfortunate series of events that had just occurred moments prior, but the poor angel was too polite to not answer the call. Besides, everything was fine. It wasn’t like the demon has not disappeared before and he would be overreacting if he took anything Crowley had said personally. (Which he definitely wasn’t, thank you very much.)

“A.Z. Fell Bookshop, Aziraphale speaking. I am very sorry for the inconvenience, but unfortunately we will not be taking any more calls due to current unforeseen personal affairs the shop shall be closed till the foreseeable future.”

“Oh thank goodness! I’m so glad to hear from you Aziraphale.” A familiar, cheery voice spoke, which the principality recognized immediately. 

“Ah… Madame Tracy… I-It’s so nice to hear from you as well.” The angel replied with faux enthusiasm, in an attempt to match the woman’s joyful demeanor. (It wasn’t successful.)

“Did I call at a bad time? I can get back to you later if-”

“No, no.” He interrupted before a bit of rustling made itself present from Aziraphale’s side of the line as the angel took a seat at his desk. “How have you been, my dear?”

“Oh, nothing much. You know how Shadwell is, always babbling about his theories.” 

“Ay, not theories, Jezebel! Truth!” The old man yelled from the background in response to what he overheard.

“Of course, love.” The woman dismissed before returning back to her conversation with Aziraphale. “Though, I didn’t call to speak about myself. We’ve been worried, it’s been almost three months since we’ve last spoken.”

“Three months? Did it really go by that fast? My apologies Madame, sometimes time just slips through my fingers.”

“Has something happened, dearie?”

“Oh no…” There was a slight pause as Aziraphale took in a shaky breath. “I just… have been a bit out of sorts as of late.”

“You’re sure that’s all? You really don’t sound too good.”

“Y-Yes. It’s fine. Everything is absolutely fine!”

“Well, alright… I’ll take your word for it.” There was a tinge of concern that now accented the woman’s voice though she made certain to not directly acknowledge her suspicions and instead she had something else in mind to bring out the truth. “Why don’t you come visit us for tea this Sunday?”

“I-I don’t know… maybe another time-”

“Please, I  _ insist _ . This is not a matter that is up for debate, Aziraphale. It simply has been far too long since any of us has seen you.”

“I suppose you do have a point… it has been quite a while hasn’t it?”

“Yes! So please don’t be a stranger. You wouldn’t believe what has happened since you’ve been gone.”

“Alright, I’ll be there.”

“Splendid! I'll be delighted to see you when you come! Oh, and don’t forget to bring your demon friend!”


	65. Chapter 65

“Goodbye, old friend.” The demon murmured to the Bentley, before grabbing a few items that he had brought with him - that being a small bottle of suppressants, a bottle of wine, and his astronomy book- and closing the door behind him. 

Contrary to his previous dramatic departure Crowley was strangely deliberate about what he was doing now as he continued on his path till he had gone as far as he possibly could on foot before arriving at the edge of a high drop. Below him there was a raging ocean beating up against the cliff he stood upon and above him ominous gray clouds hovered occasionally setting off with a burst of voltic energy. He then took a sip of wine with his gaze fixed on the body of water beneath him. Pushing inward and pulling outward endlessly as it beat against the massive wall of rock blocking it’s path as it slowly chipped away at it. Eventually, with time, the gigantic wall of earth would erode away into even smaller bits of rock, then into sand, then into specks of dust, and then… well the serpent had no idea what would happen after that. Though the demon supposed each speck of sand would fade away into nothingness as he took in another gulp of wine.

“Just jump already.” A voice exclaimed from behind him, causing the serpent to jump in place and direct his attention to the unfamiliar voice. Only to find a disgruntled looking man with a goatee, angular dark features, grey eyes, and pitch black hair. He was not very tall yet his physical allure was undeniable to say the least before another burst of lightning struck, illuminating his features as he walked to stand beside the other.

“Oh, it’s you...” The serpent replied, unphased by the figure which stood before him.

“Yes, indeed, in the flesh. How are you Crowley? Or whatever you’re calling yourself these days… I wouldn’t be surprised if you went by a boring name like Henry or Philip by now.”

“It’s Anthony.”

“Oh… so I was right…”

“What do you want Mephistopheles?” Crowley inquired, clearly upset by the other’s very unappealing attempt at small talk.

“Nothing much. I actually just dropped by to take a look at the scenery. But I was surprised to find you here wallowing in the rain.”

“Don’t lie to me, you old crow. Someone sent you here, didn’t they? To capture me and send me back to Hell?” He then flung his arms upward with his face contorted in a maniacal grin. “Go ahead, take me. I surrender. I don’t give a shit about much of anything these days.” Crowley half-expected Mephistopheles to do something but the demon only stood there seemingly unamused by the other’s pitiful demonstration. 

“I’m not here to take you away, Crowley.”

“Piss off then. I can’t see any other plausible reason as to why you’d want to stick around if you are just here to torture my existence.”

“I missed you too, old friend.” The other replied, rather facetiously. 

“We were never friends.”

“Fine. Ex-colleagues.”

“Ngk…” Crowley then sat down on the ground to finish the remainder of his wine (which wasn’t very much) and using it to wash down a few suppressants as the other examined his state more closely. He visibly cringed when he noticed the deep lines that were now prominent on the demon’s face, which made Crowley’s corporation look at least a few years older.

“You look horrible, by the way.”

“And?”

“Just thought you should know. I sensed there was something off when I arrived.”

“My face?”

“It is definitely reflected in your looks. But I mean with you.” Mephistopheles then made a quick flourish with his hand gesturing towards the mess which was known as Anthony J. Crowley. “More specifically, the metaphysical aspects of it. I know a lost soul when I see one.”

“I’m not lost.” The demon retorted, shooting a not so kind look towards the other behind his dark glasses.

“You yourself may not be lost, but you might have lost something of great value. Money? Power? Love?” Mephistopheles then looked back to the other, observing how the serpent frowned slightly in response to his last statement. “Ah, so I am right? Who is it? Is it the angel?”

“None of your business, Mephisto. It’s not like you would know anything about love, anyway. All you do is prey on innocent people then trick them into doing your bidding, you’ve never given a damn about anyone in your life. ”

“That’s only what you think. But, don’t forget, I have had my fair share of experiences as well. I have been on Earth almost as long as you have.” Crowley couldn’t help but laugh uncontrollably in response to Mephistopheles’ proposal. Although the other was understandably disinterested in the ginger’s rude reaction and just stared at him blankly until his laughter subsided, only to be met with a puzzled look.

“W-Wait. You’re serious?”

“Absolutely.”

“Oh…”

“I don’t think about it most days because the idea of it brings me great displeasure.” Mephistopheles responded, looking down to the ground as he pulled his lips into a tight lipped smile. “Besides that was a long time ago and he is gone now.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, I realize it wasn’t worth my time. I know that you think that I am taking advantage of those who are struggling. But I really like to think I am doing them a great service, giving the people who are going through a living hell a chance to experience a small sliver of Heaven before they leave us in this world, even though I know they will have to suffer eventually.”

“Then why do you let them suffer, if you hate it?”   
  


“Because at the end of the day I am just here to do my job.” Mephistopheles responded, turning to walk away from the cliff because he was clearly finished with his small heart-to-heart with the serpent. “Beware, the world is changing, Crowley. We all have to make some sacrifices. So I suggest that you be careful if you truly love this one you speak of because you would truly be a fool to let them be thrown into the fire. I made that mistake once, I’d hate to see it happen to you.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?”   
  


“I don’t know. I guess, I believe we have a lot in common.”


	66. Chapter 66

Aziraphale felt singled out amongst the humans as they all sat around the little dining table in Madame Tracy's kitchen. He hadn't been informed that (the recently engaged couple) Anathema and Newt would be there also and he couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy make itself present as he watched upon the other two couples enviously while they conversed happily. Actually it was mostly Anathema and Madame Tracy who carried on the conversation, while Newt and Shadwell sort of looked on. The old man would mostly grumble about something concerning snake people who fancied eating babies and worshipped the devil. Newt just tried his best to make himself as scarce as he possibly could, occasionally taking some time to indulge Shadwell because he was the only one gullible enough to take the old lunatic somewhat seriously. 

Leaving the blonde to flounder in his unpleasant emotions before taking a nibble at his biscuit in an attempt to distract himself from his current situation. Which ended up being a choice with a very unfortunate outcome because as soon as the provision passed his lips it crumbled to pieces before immediately turning into an unpalatable powdery substance that thoroughly coated his tongue. He then took a few sips of tea, thinking it would alleviate the dryness in his mouth, but he was less than pleased to find that the warm liquid just tasted bitter and decidingly unappetizing.

Great… not even food could bring the angel joy now…

“It’s quite a shame that your friend couldn’t come with you.” Madame Tracy mentioned, not so subtly, after finishing her discussion with Anathema about baking recipes. The mention of Crowley caused the angel to become even more uncomfortable as he preoccupied himself with the hem of his coat and he felt the group’s focus draw in on him. He really didn’t want to be here right now. He really,  _ really _ , didn’t want to be here right now.

“Ah yes, quite a shame.” He acknowledged in a somewhat withdrawn manner, in hopes that his laid back (or at least what he thought was ‘laid back’, to everyone else he just looked fidgety and moderately pale) approach to the situation would cause them to believe that the subject was of little importance. 

“Oh yeah, what happened to him?” Anathema chimed in, tilting her head slightly and directing her focus to the angel. She eyed him quite intensely leading Aziraphale to suspect that she was searching for something. Although he was unsure if his suspicions were correct when her demeanor seemingly relaxed a split second later, leaving the angel confused by the strange interaction.

“Well uh… n-nothing…”

“Nothing?” The woman then answered before letting out a simple “hmph…” as she thought to herself before flashing a mischievous smile in the angel’s direction; she definitely knew something was up. 

“Are you sure?” Madame Tracy then continued, using the same concerned voice she had when she spoke to the angel over the phone. “ _ Nothing _ seems to be causing you a great amount of distress.”

“Y-Yes I am sure. He just had some… important business to take care of… important demon business.”

“I thought you didn’t work for your old bosses anymore.” Anathema pointed out. “How could he be doing ‘ _ important demon business _ ’ if he is technically no longer a denizen of Hell?”

“Ah yes… Well, demon business is very complicated business.”

“Oh it is? Please enlighten me, angel Aziraphale.” This small gathering was beginning to feel more like an interrogation rather than a relaxing get-together.

“I really shouldn’t. You would be bored to death.”

“Why do you say that, dearie? I would like to hear about the important demon business.” Madame Tracy joined in, rather coyly. “Wouldn’t you like to hear about it Anathema?”

“Yes, indeed. Newt?”

“Uhhh…” The poor man was caught off guard by the witch’s question. “Yup...”

“You have a full audience, Aziraphale. So why don’t you tell us what’s really going on?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter should be called, madame tracy and anathema come to the rescue.


	67. Chapter 67

The angel had effectively been backed into a conversational corner as the others looked upon him expectantly. What the hell was he thinking?  _ Important demon business? _ That was a page ripped right off Crowley's Playbook of Bullshit Answers and for some very vague, innate reason he had thought it would work now although it had never worked against him. 

Actually it had worked for the angel. Many times. He just let Crowley get away with saying it so frequently despite the fact that it was a blatant lie used to cover up a range of behavior. And if he were to be completely honest with himself, he had no idea what ‘ _ important demon business _ ’ was. So he did the only thing he was left to do in this situation, confess.

“Fine, alright. I might not have been telling you the complete truth… ᶜʳᵒʷˡᵉʸᵃⁿᵈᶦᵐᶦᵍʰᵗʰᵃᵛᵉᵍᵒᵗᵗᵉⁿᶦⁿᵗᵒᵃˢˡᶦᵍʰᵗᵈᶦˢᵃᵍʳᵉᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗᵃⁿᵈʷᵉᵈᵉᶜᶦᵈᵉᵈᵗᵒᵍᵒᵒᵘʳˢᵉᵖᵃʳᵃᵗᵉʷᵃʸˢ…”

“Huh?” The group said collectively.

“I said, Crowley and I might have gotten into a slight disagreement and we decided to go our separate ways.”

“Oh…” Madame Tracy said rather sympathetically, which was awfully different from Anathema’s reaction. 

The witch seemed disappointed by the angel’s answer and she made it quite clear in her response. “That’s it?”

To which the angel responded, “What do mean, ‘ _ that’s it _ ’?”

“That’s what's been bothering you? A rough break up? By the way your aura looked anyone could’ve guessed that you were an accomplice to murder.”

“You were looking at my aura?!”

“Yes.” The witch admitted, “But I didn’t even need to look at that to know something was off about you.”

“To be fair, Anathema does have a point.” The other woman added. “We thought you might have been hurt and three months without even one phone call is plenty of time for something to go wrong.”

“Well, there was a kidnapping...”

“Huh?” The group said collectively, again.

“...and a car accident.” 

There was then a moment of silence as the two women looked at the angel with wide eyes, causing even Newt to speak out due the situation. “You really couldn’t have started off with that?”

“I didn’t think it was that serious.”


	68. Chapter 68

Anathema was now pacing back and forth around the room while the Aziraphale was seated on the couch accompanied by Madame Tracy and Newt. Shadwell who hadn’t been present in the conversation till a couple moments prior was now watching the group attentively, in hopes that something exciting would happen during this confrontation, as he grinned to himself wickedly. 

“You got into a car accident and you, ‘ _ didn’t think it was  _ ** _that_ ** _ serious’ _ ?!” Anathema started off, using finger quotes to emphasize her point.

“Alright, firstly, I didn’t get into a car accident. It was Crowley who crashed the Bentley.”

“Oh and that’s supposed to make it better?” The witch responded with sarcasm dripping from her teeth, unable to understand why the angel wasn't able to comprehend why a car accident was a significant event. Although, in Aziraphale’s defense, the ethereal being had been around for a very long time and he had probably been present to several car accidents in his extended lifetime or at least something equally exciting. And at the time a fatal event like that might have occurred he was always reassigned to a new corporation (after completing heaps and heaps of paperwork), so death wasn’t ever a consequential thing.

“Not when you phrase it that way…”

“Now remember, love.” Madame Tracy then interrupted after observing the way the witch’s head looked as if it was about to blow off. “We are not here to judge you, we are just trying to figure things out.”

“She is.” The retired witchfinder then chimed in, pointing to Anathema and chuckling to himself (all he needed was a bag of popcorn to complete the look). However he immediately stopped his antics when Madame Tracy flashed a cold look in Shadwell’s direction before the old man began grumbling to himself again grumpily.

“Anyway,” The madame said, continuing from where she left off, “we are just trying to figure out if you are okay. You have obviously had lots of significant changes occur to you in a short amount of time. And, I will admit I am not an expert in these sorts of things. But I believe it would be safe to say that after serious events like this it would be beneficial for you to speak about it.” The woman then observed how the angel became visibly nervous by her proposition so she decided to rephrase her words. “We can’t force you to say anything you don’t want to… but we would very much appreciate it if you explained to us what happened. If that is what you want.”

“Alright, I’ll tell you.” 


	69. Chapter 69

Aziraphale hadn’t anticipated that revealing everything that had happened to him over the past three months would be so difficult to explain. While everything was occuring it really didn’t seem like very much was going on, but now that he was saying it out loud he had realized that the true nature of his plight was much more convoluted than he had originally thought and he suddenly found himself stumbling over his words, unable to figure out how he should begin to illustrate the complicated string of events. Leaving the rest of the people around him to stare at him confusedly before he eventually found the right words to say, determining that the beginning was probably the best place to begin. He had started with their dinner together, the awkward morning that followed, how Crowley was a Little and how he was a Caregiver, their trip to the store which lead to an accidental befriending of a two undercover agents who worked for a secret organization, the car accident, the party/kidnapping, their escape from said secret organization, and then the consequential break-up which happened shortly after. The angel definitely didn’t reveal everything, however it was enough for now (and even that felt like too much to tell). 

The room was now much quieter than it had been earlier, the principality realized after directing his attention back to his human friends, and the heavy silence that filled the room made him wonder what had made them become so serious all of a sudden. Although he finally understood what was happening when he felt unwanted streams of liquid roll down his face. 

“S-Sorry… I didn’t mean to… um… do that.” Aziraphale quickly wiped his tears away as he recited tepid apologies to the witnesses of his unexpected emotional display. He then rushed to stand up from his seat, but before he could get away he felt a firm hand grab him snugly by the wrist and pull him back to where he was previously perched on the sofa. Madame Tracy then proceeded to keep the angel there despite his weak protest, still gripping the angel with a surprising amount of strength that no one else knew she possessed before wrapping her arms around the blonde and giving him a comforting squeeze. 

“You don’t have to apologize, dearie.” She spoke in a soft tone which only aided in making the principality even more emotive than he already was as a new batch of tears began to collect around his eyes.

“Y-You’re... not a-angry?” The angel then stuttered out against a heavy weight that pressed against his chest as he spoke.

“No, of course not. Why would we be?”

“Because I-I shouldn't be so distraught over something s-so silly… and I kept it all from y-you for so long.”

“We would never punish you for feeling upset, love.”

“B-But-”

“Oh hush, now.” Madame Tracy then interrupted before the angel could protest further. “You did nothing wrong.”

“But you all don’t even seem to be s-surprised by the fact that I’m a Caregiver… o-or that Crowley’s Little.” The two women couldn’t help but laugh in response to the angel’s last statement, leaving Aziraphale confused and a bit hurt by their reaction. (Newt and Shadwell also looked equally perplexed by the other’s outburst of laughter.)

“W-What is it?” 

“We already knew.” Anathema then said as she continued to giggle to herself. 

“You did?” Newt then interjected, feeling left out amongst the others. Which only caused Anathema and Tracy to become more hysterical in their amusement. 

“It’s quite obvious.” Tracy added, pulling away from Aziraphale before looking back at him with a gentle smile.

“Oh it was…” The angel responded as his face reddened significantly. He was disappointed in himself for not figuring out sooner.

“Don’t be embarrassed.” The old woman then assured, “We figured you would tell us in your own time and we are very happy you did.”

“Ah… well th-thank you.” Aziraphale said shakily as he continued to wipe away a few stray tears. “F-For understanding, that is.”

“Now, now… you don’t have to get all soppy, dearie. We are your friends, we will always understand.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> madame tracy and anathema are so fun to write


	70. Chapter 70

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- the world hasn’t ended (yet), neither will this fic.  
\- wassup my dudes. it’s been awhile…

Crowley’s encounter with Mephistopheles ended rather abruptly with a dive straight off of a cliff face. The demon didn’t fall to his doom though, he had wings therefore he used them. Falling forward then letting the air beneath him carry him upward and propel him to wherever he desired. He soared above the ocean and into the stormy weather that many wouldn’t dare try to face. However Anthony J. Crowley was not most people (or supernatural entities if we needed to get into specifics) and he let his emotions make most of the decisions in this instance. But alas, he did find his destination landing clumsily (at least to his standards, Crowley was actually quite an adept flyer) onto the grassy surface beneath him.

Crowley dragged his feet along the ground and he was clearly tired from his long journey. Flying was exhausting, especially if you were doing it while highly intoxicated and in the rain. He hadn’t expected to end up back here, in Eden. But for some innate reason something had compelled the demon to come back now even though many other places could have been a viable option for his little holiday. 

But despite all of these things he still persisted onward, he was looking for something. Something very important.

The garden was different now. It was bigger, much bigger than what he had remembered it being when Adam and Eve resided here. And the once neatly kept little enclosure surrounded by a barren desert was now a flourishing tropical forest with no end in sight. The plants here grew erratically and were no longer sectioned off according to their specific classification. The animals were different too, wild and free, and untouched by the rest of the world. A stark contrast to their distant ancestors who were tame and docile creatures, trained to serve those who commanded them. In Crowley’s opinion it had changed for the better although it was much more dangerous now than it had been before, now that Heaven no longer kept track of it. The only traces left of any sort of divine authority over this place was a small rocky barrier overgrown by moss and tangled in vines. This barrier was once a great wall which separated this place from the rest of the world, yet now it was just a pathetic shadow if itself trampled over by the very thing it was meant to protect. 

The demon stepped over it effortlessly, knowing that he was getting closer to his destination and his pace quickened with each step. Stumbling over many entangled roots and weaving through the obstacles with relative ease, until he finally reached it. The Tree of Knowledge, but that wasn’t what he was concerned with instead he directed his attention toward an engraving that was etched into it eons ago in an old language that was no longer recognizable to human eyes. The serpent traced his fingers delicately along the writings and smiled somewhat somberly. 

It was a warning which translated to:

_ Do not eat from this tree. Those who dare to try will be struck down by God herself and never be seen again.  _

_ \- Aziraphale, Guardian of the Eastern Gate _


End file.
